COLBY, Kan. - The Dodge City Community College softball team would see a three-run lead disappear in a 6-3 loss at the hands of Colby Community College before taking game two in five innings by a final score of 12-4 in five innings at Carl Adams Field in Colby on Monday, April 3rd.
DC3 now sits at 17-11 overall and 5-7 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference halfway through the double round-robin schedule while the Trojans are now 18-12 overall and 5-5 in the KJCCC.
The Conquistadors would record the first hit of the game with a one-out single in the top of the third following two hitless innings as
Baylee Rial get aboard before two strikeouts would end the inning. CCC would waste a one out double by stranding the runner at third. Dodge City would put their first runner in scoring position in the top of the fourth after
Kylie Fox would be hit by pitch with one out allowing for
Kim Herron to move her over on a groundout, but a second consecutive groundout would end the inning for the Conquistadors. A scoreless fourth for Colby would things to the fifth where DC3 would finally break through with a
Brooklyn Botts one-out double to left field before
Brittney Gonzalez would put runners on the corners with two outs on a single. A Gonzalez steal of second and
Breanna Guerrero walk would bring
Taylor Menard up to bat with the bases loaded where the sophomore would come through with a two-RBI single. Fox would tack on a third run with a single to bring home Guerrero before the Trojans would manage to end the Conquistador output.
Four-straight base hits by Colby to start off the bottom of the fifth would quickly tie the game at three-all with an out yet to be recorded followed by a a one-out single and walk to give CCC their first lead of the game. the Trojans would plate an additional two runs to take a 6-3 lead, leaving the Conquistadors with work to do. Things would get more interesting in the sixth as DC3 would load the bases with one out and the top of the order due-up, but a strikeout and lineout would leave the bases loaded and Dodge City's prime opportunity to cut into the Colby lead left wasted. The Conquistadors would strand one Colby runner in the bottom of the sixth before managing only a one-out double in the seventh to fall in game one by the three-run deficit.
Herron would take the loss in game one, tossing 4.1 innings and giving up six runs while striking out four.
Matti Tieben would finish out the final one and two-thirds innings, scattering three hits while not allowing any runs. Fox would go two-for-three at the plate with a double while Botts would collect DC3's only other extra-base hit with a double. Menard would drive in two of the three runs scored by Dodge City.
There would be no late push by the Trojans in game two as the Conquistadors would score in every inning while pounding out 12 total hits. A Menard two-out single followed by a pair of CCC errors would give DC3 a 1-0 lead after one inning of play before pushing across three runs on two hits and another pair of Colby errors. Madison Motes would cut the Dodge City lead in half at 4-2 in the bottom of the second with a one-out home run before DC3 starting pitcher
Jordyn McDaniel would settle back in to retire the final two Trojan batters of the inning.
Morgan Ihle would get a run back for DC3 in the top of the third by smacking a one-out double before coming around to score on an
Adreanna Guerrero single to push the lead back out to 5-2 which would be short-lived. Colby would match the solo run by the Conquistadors with a run of their own in the bottom of the third and keep within striking distance at 5-3. Dodge City would break the game open in the top of the fourth by putting their first five batters of the inning aboard to plate a total of four runs on three hits with Ihle providing a one-out, two-RBI double followed by an
Adreanna Guerrero sacrifice fly to cap off the inning.
Another single run by CCC would cut the six-run lead down to 9-4 heading to the fifth where DC3 would need a total of three runs to have a chance to put the run-rule into effect. Dodge City would manage to find the three runs on three hits and Colby's fifth error of the game to take a 12-4 lead as McDaniel would scatter a pair of singles to hold the Trojans scoreless and end the game.
Ihle's two doubles along with a single would see the freshman lead DC3 by going three-for-four at the plate with a pair of runs batted in while Menard and Fox would each collect two hits.
Adreanna Guerrero collected two RBI's in the game while Gonzalez swiped two bags.
The back-half of the Jayhawk Conference schedule starts on Wednesday for Dodge City with a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Pratt Community College. Earlier this year DC3 took a 2-1, 10-inning win over the Beavers before run-ruling PCC 16-0 in game two.
