LIBERAL, Kan. - Seven would turn out to be a key number for the Dodge City Community College baseball team on Saturday afternoon, scoring seven unanswered runs in game one to win 12-7 before scoring all seven runs in game two as unearned runs to sweep Seward County Community College in a Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference doubleheader at Brent Gould Field in Liberal, Kansas. 

DC3 is now 32-14-1 overall and improves to 17-9 in the KJCCC with their 12th doubleheader sweep of the year while the host Saints dropped their eighth straight game to fall to 16-31 and 9-17 in the Jayhawk Conference. 

An early 5-0 lead would be unhinged for the Conquistadors in game one as SCCC would put up a total of seven runs in the bottom of the third to take a 7-5 lead heading into the fourth-inning of the seven-inning affair. 

The Conquistadors would respond in the top of the fourth by taking advantage of an inning-opening error to put a runner on for Cade Engle who would hit a double and put two runners in scoring position. An RBI groundout by Brayden Cook would cut the Seward County lead to 7-6 before Jake Pederson would tie the game at seven with a sacrifice fly. 

With the score tied at seven heading to the sixth, Dodge City would break the deadlock with an RBI fielder's choice to score Cole Bergdall who would lead off the inning with a double. DC3 then picked up three singles to score Cook, Pederson, and Talon Schaller to make the score 11-7 before a wild pitch would and error would score Richard Fullerton. 

Jeremy Hidalgo, who would come on in relief of starter Tommy Knowlton, would limit the Saints to a total of three hits in four and one third innings of work while striking out seven to pick up his third win of the season (3-1). 

Leading the 12-hit charge for the Conquistadors would be Engle in the leadoff spot with three hits as Engle, Pederson, Fullerton, and Bergdall each had a double in the game. Pederson would also drive in a game-high five runs while scoring twice. 

Game two would find Dodge City in a 2-0 deficit after one inning of play as Seward County would pick up a two-out, two-run home run to draw first blood in the game and take an early lead. Dodge City would be held hitless through the first three innings of play despite being issued six free passes with double plays in the first and second innings putting an end to any potential DC3 threat to score. 

With the bases loaded in the top of the fourth with one out, the Conquistadors would once again leave runners on base as the Saints would get out of the jam with a flyout and strikeout to end the inning. 

SCCC would add another run in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly following a one-out walk and successful hit and run to move the runner from first to third to make the score 3-0 through five and Dodge City with only hit in the game. 

Dauson Tate would lead off the top of the sixth by reaching on an error by the Saint second baseman before a infield fly out and walk would put two runners on with one out. A second consecutive walk followed by RBI groundout would cut the Seward County lead to 3-1 with two outs and two runners still on for the Conquistadors when an Engle two-RBI single would knot the game up at three.

Cook would follow things up by drawing a walk to bring up Pederson who would give DC3 their first lead of the game with an RBI single before Talon Schaller would unleash the Dodge City offense by launching a three-run home run to put DC3 up 7-3. 

Seward County's best chance to mount a comeback would come in the bottom of the seventh as the Saints would load the bases with zero outs and force head coach Phil Stephenson to turn to J.T. Mossberg in relief of Hayden Davey. 

Mossberg would do his job by forcing a pop up to the shortstop before a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play would keep the score at 7-3. 

Dodge City would look to add an insurance run in the top of the ninth before being turned away with a runner 90 feet from home to keep the margin at four as Mossberg would close the door on the Saints and earn his first save of the year. 

Davey would go six-plus innings and give up three runs on nine hits while striking out four before Mossberg tossed the final three innings of hitless baseball and striking out one. 

Pederson would wind up being the only Dodge City player with two hits in the game as the Conquistadors would be outhit 9-7 in the game. Seven different Conqusitadors would score a run in the game as Schaller's home run would be the only extra-base hit of the game for DC3. 

Dodge City has a chance to clinch an NJCAA Region VI Tournament home playoff series tomorrow when they conclude their four-game series with Seward County with a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Liberal. As it currently stands, Dodge City is in a three-way tie for second place in the KJCCC West with a 17-9 record and is five games up on fifth-place Garden City with six games to go. 

Record Book: Schaller's home run would be his 14th of the year to move him into second-place on the single-season chart, trailing only James Bennett who belted 15 in 2004. With 15 in his career, Schaller is now tied for sixth in school history on the career home run charts with Josh Williams (2014-15) and Heath Wilson (1999-2000). The Lakewood, Colorado native is also chasing history in single-season RBI, currently sitting in a tie for fifth with 62 runs batted in this season.

Cade Engle is moving up the single-season charts as well, currently placing 10th in single-season history with 53 runs and closing in on the top-10 in single season hits (currently at 61, needs 69 to crack top-10).