Dodge City baseball opened the final KJCCC series of the season at home hosting Cloud County with still the ability to finish in the top four in the KJCCC West with a series win over the Thunderbirds. The Conquistadors would play to a doubleheader split in Dodge City earning a 1-0 win in game one but dropping game two 12-6.
The split moves the Conqs to 27-27 on the season 17-13 in KJCCC action with two more games left in the regular season as the series with Cloud County will wrap up on Saturday, May 6th in Concordia with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 pm.
Game 1 – Won 1-0 vs Cloud County
It was a pitching duel to open the series as both starters stonewalled the opposition with only six base runners in the game and three hits combined. The Conqs would get what proved to be the only run of the game in the bottom of the second when Carter Olson blasted a leadoff solo home run. Cloud County didn't get their first base runner in the game until the fourth and it came on an error, but the Conqs then turned a double play and Justus Revill, Conqs starting pitcher, and the Conq defense had faced the minimum through four innings. The Thunderbirds managed only two more base runners on a walk and then broke up the no-hitter with their lone hit in the seventh, while the Conqs had a hit in the fourth and a walk in the sixth.
Revill had his second straight complete game this time a seven-inning shutout as he gave up just one hit and one walk, while striking out 10 and took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning. Olson finished 1-2 with a solo home run and Donnie Rhyne was 1-2 for the Conqs.
Game 2 – Lost 12-6 vs Cloud County
The second game of the series featured just a bit more offense than the first as Cloud County took the initial lead of the contest plating two runs in the second on a two-run home run. The Conqs would counter in the bottom of the second with a solo home run by Caden Matlon. Cloud County stretched the lead back to two runs with a run in the top of the fourth, but the Conqs swung the lead their way with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Alex Galyean would bring in the first of the fourth with an RBI double and then would score on a two-run home run by Carson Wright to give the Conqs a 4-3 lead. In the top of the fifth Cloud County tallied another run tying the game at 4-4 and in the next two half innings the Conqs looked to grab the lead back but would be unable to score with two bases-loaded situations. In the seventh, the Conqs did break through again as Carter Olson had a one-out double, and then a two-out RBI double by Cooper Schneider brought in Olson to push the Conqs back in front. The lead was short-lived in the eight Cloud County batted around and scored five runs to grab the lead and then added three more in the ninth while the Conqs only got one more in the eighth ultimately falling 12-6.
Conqs in the loss had 12 hits led by Schneider who was 3-4 with a run scored, an RBI, a double, and a walk. Wright went 2-3 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored, and a walk, while Galyean had an RBI double along with a run scored and two walks.
