Dodge City baseball looked to wrap up the first round on Friday at home after a 6-5 win in game one of the series against Coffeyville, but the Red Ravens would make it another tight ball game and push the series into a winner-take-all all-game three.
The loss moves the Conquistadors to 37-21 on the season and forces a game three in the best-of-three first-round playoff series against Coffeyville.
The day opened with Coffeyville drawing a walk to open the game which was followed by a single and error to load the bases and then a sacrifice fly brought in a run. Coffeyville held the 1-0 lead until the bottom of the third when the Conqs tallied a pair of runs on four hits with an RBI double by Andrew Detlefsen and an RBI single by Max Towchik to make it 2-1. The lead went to 3-1 for the Conqs in the bottom of the sixth as Towchik scored on a sac bunt by Jordan Rodriguez. In the top of the seventh Coffeyville made it a one-run game again blasting a solo home run to open the inning but the Conqs would get out of the frame just surrendering the one run. The eighth inning would see Coffeyville send seven to the plate and score three runs to regain the lead at 5-3. The Conqs would strand a runner in the bottom of the eighth and be unable to get anything going in the ninth falling 5-3 in the contest.
Towchik led the offense for the Conqs going 3-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Juan Rivera added a 1-3 game with a walk, while Nick Gray drew a pair of walks. Both Cooper Schneider and Detlefsen were 1-4 with a double and run scored, while Detlefsen added an RBI.
On the mound, Brian Hallum got the start and went 6.1 innings giving up two runs on three hits and one walk, while striking out five. While Michael DeBattista and Michael Lopez finished out the contest.
The series will wrap up on Saturday, May 11th with game three at 1:00 pm in Dodge City for the right to move on to Wichita and stay alive in the postseason.
