DODGE CITY, Kan. - Despite being limited to a total of four hits on the day including one in game two, the Dodge City Community College baseball team found a way to split with Colby Community College following a 2-0 loss and 1-0 win at Cavalier Field in Dodge City.
With the games originally scheduled for last Saturday, DC3 was finally able to get games one and two of the four-game set in to improve to 34-16-1 overall and 19-11 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. The Trojans are now 27-21 overall and sit just one game behind Dodge City in the KJCCC at 18-12 with two games left in the regular season.
Pitching would be the story of the day as game one would see the Conquistadors limited to just three hits and three runners left on base as Colby would snag an unearned run in the top of the second and an insurance run in the top of the sixth. DC3 would manage to send just two batters over the minimum to the plate in the game as Colby starter Chase Dreger would throw a complete game and strike out seven to secure the Trojans home-field advantage in this weekend's opening round of the NJCAA Region VI Tournament.
Cole Brandon (6-3) would take the loss after throwing three innings on a limited pitch count, giving up one unearned run on two hits and striking out two.
J.T. Mossberg tossed four innings in relief and gave up one run on four hits and struck out four of the 16 batters he faced.
Brayden Cook,
Jake Pederson, and
Cole Bergdall each had a single in the game to record DC3's three hits with Bergdall and Engle both caught stealing to eliminate their time on the base paths.
Even better pitching would be seen in game two as a one-out single by Colby in the top of the first would be the only hit through the first six innings of play. The Trojans would strand a runner at first in the top of the seventh following a one-out single before
Talon Schaller would provide the go-ahead run for Dodge City on a solo home run to put the Conquistadors up 1-0. The home run would set a single-season Dodge City record with his 16th round-triper of the year, which is also third-best in the conference this season.
Colby would get one last shot in the top of the ninth with a one-out walk and two-out double to put the go-ahead run at second before a strikeout by DC3 closer
Dalton Harvey would end the game to give Dodge City the split.
Jeremy Hidalgo (4-1) would get the win in relief after
Hayden Davey threw the first three and two-thirds innings and gave up just one hit. Hidalgo three 4.1 innings and struck out six before Harvey picked up his 10th save of the season by throwing a scoreless ninth inning for DC3's fifth shutout of the season.
The 2017 regular season concludes tomorrow at Cavalier Field as DC3 and Colby will play the final two games among the 19-member KJCCC schools with the series being pushed back to mid-week. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. as Dodge City needs just one win to secure the No. 3 seed in the NJCAA Region VI Tournament. The Conquistadors will face either Coffeyville Community College or Fort Scott in a best-of-three series at Cavalier Field this weekend with dates and times for the games to be determined Thursday morning.
