DODGE CITY, Kan. - A total of five home runs by the visiting Seward County Community College Lady Saints sent the Dodge City Community College home with 4-2 and 9-8 (8-inning) losses at Legends Park in Dodge City on Wednesday, April 19th. 

DC3 is now 23-15 overall and sees their Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference record even at 11-11 while the Lady Saints improved to 39-17 on the year and 14-7 in the KJCCC. 

A one-out, two-run home run in the top of the first inning of game one would send SCCC up 2-0 after one inning of play as the Conquistadors would strand a runner at third. Things would stay at a two-run deficit for Dodge City until the bottom of the third as a Baylee Rial one-out double would see the sophomore brought home on a Breanna Guerrero single and rundown between first and second which would allow enough time for Rial to score. 

The Lady Saints would strand a pair of runners in the top of the fourth before the Conquistadors would go down in order, which would bring Seward back up to bat with a one-run lead. 

SCCC picked up a solo home-run to lead off the top of the fifth to put the lead back at two, but would see their offense vanish following the solo shot. 

Trailing 3-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth, Brittney Gonzalez would collect a lead-off single to allow for Guerrero to move her from first to third on a sacrifice bunt before a Taylor Menard RBI groundout would bring DC3 back within one at 3-2. 

Just like the top of the fifth, Seward County would lead off the top of the seventh with their third home run of the game to pick up an insurance run to push the lead back out to 4-2 before setting DC3 down in order to end the game. 

Sophomore Kim Herron (16-8) would take the loss after throwing a complete game and giving up four runs (three earned) on 10 hits and striking out three. The Conquistadors would be limited to just four hits in the game with Gonzalez, Guererro, Rial, and Kylie Fox all collecting one hit. 

An even bigger deficit would be seen in game two by Dodge City, as Seward County would fall behind 3-0 after two innings and 5-0 after three. With runners on second and third with two outs in the top of hte second, DC3 would seemingly get out of the inning on a groundout, but a low-throw would see Maycee Koontz reach base and bring in a pair of runs after a collision at first base. The Lady Saints would add one more run to take their largest lead of the day up to that point at 3-0. 

Stranding two runners in the bottom of the second, the Conquistadors would see a two-run home run by Sage Harrison push their hole from three to five, with a spark needed on the offensive side to get back into the game. 

Following a scoreless bottom of the third and top of the fourth, Dodge City would string together two hits along with one walk to push across two runs on a Paige Kirby Single and Gonzalez single to cut into the lead and trail 5-2 after four. 

SCCC would score a single run by bringing a lead off single around to score on a fielder's choice to push their lead back out to four, but DC3 would finally break through in the bottom of the fifth. 

A fielding error followed by throwing error would allow Guerrero to reach second as Menard would follow up with an RBI double to right center field and get the run back that the Conquistadors allowed in the top of the frame. Rial and Adreanna Guerrero would collect base hits with a Brooklyn Botts fly out sandwiched in between when head coach Howie Smith would call for a pinch-hitter with two outs.

Sydni Odegard, who had 13 at-bats all year going into the game got the call and delivered in the biggest way possible by driving a pitch over the center field fence for a three-run home to give Dodge City their first lead of the day at 7-6 and turn the tables on Seward County who had been in control all day. 

A 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth would give DC3 the chance to add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, but an inning-ending double play would eliminate any chance to push a run across to keep Dodge City's lead at 7-6. 

Two quick outs would be recorded in the top of the seventh before Harrison would hit her second home run of the game to tie the game at seven. With the damage done, DC3 would get out of the inning and put the game-winning run on third with one out in the bottom of the seventh before back-to-back strikeouts would send the game to extra-innings. 

With one-out in the top of the eighth, a costly error would put the go-ahead run on board for SCCC followed by a double to put runners on the corners. An RBI groundout and two-out RBI single would bring home a pair of runs for the Lady Saints to take a 9-7 lead into the bottom of the eighth with DC3's 9-1-2 batters due up. 

Needing a spark, Dodge City would get a lead off home run by Dominique Humphrey to cut the deficit to 9-8 and the top of the order due up, but a one out single by Breanna Guerrero would be all that could be mustered as Seward County would escape with the victory. 

Jordan McDaniel would drop to 7-6 on the year after taking the loss, throwing a complete game and giving up nine runs (four earned) while striking out one. Leading the 15-hit charge for Dodge City was Gonzalez with a four-for-five effort followed by the Guerrero twins and Rial with two hits each. Odegard's three runs batted in would lead the Conquistadors. 

Sophomore day will see DC3 host Colby Community College on Saturday, April 22nd for a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Legends Park. Six sophomores will be honored on the day (Kylie Fox, Dominique Humphrey, Kim Herron, Sabrina Romero, Taylor Menard, and Baylee Rial).