For the third straight week, the Dodge City baseball team hit the road to travel to Texas to keep the season rolling along and came up with a four-game series split against North Central Texas. 

The Conquistadors fell 5-4 in game one of the series on Friday but responded to take the second game with a 10-5 win. On Saturday the Conqs earned a tough 5-3 win but fell 13-3 in the series. The 2-2 weekend moved the Conqs to 9-6 on the season and will continue their season on Thursday, March 10th when they open KJCCC play with a road doubleheader against Seward County and then will host the Saints on Saturday, March 12th for a twin bill. 

Game 1 – at NCTC (Lost 5-4) 

The Conqs found themselves down in the first contest 2-0 after three innings of action as NCTC tallied a run in the bottom of the second and another in the third. At the top of the fourth, the Conqs saw Jake Miller lead the inning off with a single, and Kory Schmidt followed suit with a two-run home run to tie the game at 2-2. In the top of the fifth, the Conqs took the lead as James Dunlap laced a double to left field and brought in a run, and then scored on a fielder's choice later in the inning. The Conqs carried a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh just three outs away from the win, but NCTC strung a pair of singles together to open the inning and then had three straight walks to tie the game and got an RBI groundout to grab the 5-4 over the Conqs. 

Dunlap and Miller each were 2-4 at the plate both finishing with a run scored and RBI, as Dunlap's hit was a double. Weston Symes added a 2-3 showing at the plate, and Schmidt blasted a two-run home run. In the loss, Shea Walker tossed six innings giving up just two runs on four hits, three walks while striking out five. 

Game 2 – at NCTC (Won 10-5) 

Game two of the series saw NCTC take the early advantage again as they plated two runs in the bottom of the first and second innings. The Conqs chipped into the NCTC lead in the fourth as they took advantage of three free passes and got a two-RBI single from Donnie Rhyne to plate a pair of runs. In the top of the fifth the Conqs took the lead as Carson Wright and Cooper Tomkinson each had RBI singles in the inning and Nathan Szymanski had a two-RBI single to give the Conqs a 6-4 lead. NCTC got a run back in the bottom of the fifth but the Conqs cemented the game in their favor with a run in the seventh and three more in the eighth on a Caden Matlon three-run homer and went on to win 10-5. 

Rhyne and Aiden Proctor paced the Conqs offensive attack each recording a pair of hits. Rhyne finished 2-4 with a run scored, two RBI, and a stolen base, while Matlon had a three-run home run. On the mound, Cade Kelsey earned the win tossing two innings giving up just one run on one hit and three walks, while Adam Walker finished off the game tossing the final four innings and did not surrender a run or hit and struck out four. 


Game 3 – at NCTC (Won 5-3) 

Day two say the Conqs strike first unlike the first two games as Matlon notched a two-out RBI single in the top of the first inning and he'd bring in another run in the top of the third on another RBI single, while the Conqs added another that frame and lead 3-0. Conqs would go on to hold NCTC at bay throughout the contest and secure the 5-3 win. 

Blake Anderson was strong on the mound for the Conqs tossing five innings to earn the win giving up just two runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out seven. Justus Revill once again this season had another strong outing of the bullpen tossing two scoreless innings giving up just two hits and one walk while striking out four. 

At the plate, Dunlap was 2-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Matlon finished 2-3 with two RBI and Justin Dunlap was 2-4 with a run scored and RBI. 

Game 4 – at NCTC (Lost 13-3 in 5 innings) 

The series finale saw the Conqs get on the board first again as back-to-back singles opened the game and then four walks led the Conqs to score three runs in the top of the first inning. NCTC had an answer in the bottom of the first as they scored four runs and did the rest of the scoring in the contest plating two in the second, five in third, and two in the fifth as the game finished 13-3 in five innings. 

Conqs had just three hits as Trevor Blackwell, Symes, and Dunlap each had a hit, while Schmidt drew a pair of walks.