WICHITA, Kan. - Leaving 12 runners on base through the duration of the game, the Dodge City Community College baseball team dropped their opening game of the NJCAA Region VI Central District Tournament to No. 14 nationally-ranked Johnson County Community College by a final score of 7-3 at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita, Kansas on Friday, May 13th. 

DC3 falls to the loser's bracket of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament with a record of 38-18-1 while JCCC improved to 45-14 overall and moves on to face No. 3 Hutchinson Community College. 

The Cavaliers would open the game with a single run in the top of the first after bringing around a lead off walk to score on an RBI single up the middle with one out. Dodge City would match Johnson County with a run of their own in the bottom of the first as lead off batter Cade Engle would line a shot down the right field line into the corner where a misplay by the Cavalier right-fielder would allow for Engle to take third. 

JCCC re-took the lead in the top of the second with one-out triple and safety squeeze to pitcher Hayden Davey who only had a play at first to get the out and make the score 2-1 in favor of the Cavaliers. 

Brayden Cook would drive in his second run of the game for the Conquistadors in the bottom of the third as a Jonny Chavez lead off single would come around to tie the game for the second time. 

DC3's only lead of the game would come in the bottom of the fourth as Talon schaller would get on with a lead off single past a diving second baseman before Gaving Gifford would deliver with a two-out base hit to drive in the go-ahead run to make the score 3-2. Cole Bergdall would get back-to-back walks to load the bases before a groundout left the bases-loaded to end the inning. 

A two-run double to the right-center field gap would allow for Johnson County to reclaim the lead at 4-3 before the inning would end with Davey picking off JCCC first baseman Matt Warkenton to end the inning and get out of the frame without any more damage. 

Dodge City would leave the bases loaded again in the bottom of the seventh after putting all three runners on with two outs before a fly out to left field would waste a prime opportunity and send things to the top of the sixth. 

An insurance run by Johnson County in the top of the sixth following a lead off single and RBI double would make the score 5-3 in favor of the Cavaliers, but an inning-ending double play allowed for DC3 to get out of yet another jam. 

Johnson County put things out of reach in the top of the seventh by plating two additional runs on two hits, but would leave two runners on base as the Conquistadors found themselves getting out of a bases-loaded situation with two outs by throwing behind the runner at third following a ball in the dirt to pick off Warkenton for the second time on the night. 

DC3 would finally convert with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single by Gifford to cut into the JCCC lead, but a strikeout would end the inning and leave the bases loaded for the third time in the game. 

Following 1-2-3 innings for both DC3 and JCCC in the eighth, Dodge City would retire all three Johnson County batters in the ninth to keep their deficit at 7-4 and within striking distance to tie the game and send things to extra-innings. 

Jake Pederson would draw a lead off walk before a Schaller fielder's choice would keep the same situation but with one out for DC3 before Dauson Tate singled to bring the game-tying run to the plate. Fullerton would hit into a fielder's choice before a fly out would end the game and put the Conquistadors back in a must-win situation tomorrow. 

"We could not get the big hit we needed tonight as we loaded the bases three different times and got only one run out of it tonight" said head coach Phil Stephenson. "We handled what we got out of both of their pitchers, but we had too many strikeouts tonight." "I thought our approach was good tonight and not every time was perfect, but they knew they were in a battle and they were able to capitalize on some mistakes we made."

Davey (3-2) takes the loss to drop to 3-2 overall after throwing five innings and giving up five runs on eight hits while walking four and striking out three. J.T. Mossberg (1.2 innings), Tommy Knowlton (1.1 innings), and Eric Lindsay (1.0 innings) all saw time in relief while combining to give up two runs on two hits. 

Gifford and Cook would combine to drive in all four RBI's for DC3 (two each) with Gifford going two-for-five at the plate. Dodge City's only extra-base hit of the game would be the lead off double in the first by Engle. 

The Conquistadors will face an elimination game tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. against Kansas City Kansas Community College, who lost 7-1 to No. 3 Hutchinson Community College on Friday evening. Dodge City will be the visiting team as determined by coin flip, and will send sophomore Cole Brandon to the mound in a must-win game to keep their season alive.