Dodge City softball picked up a huge win over Hutchinson for a split of the doubleheader as the Conquistadors with the win earned their 25th win of the season marking the most since 2017.
The Conqs would drop a competitive game one 6-3 but respond by snapping an 18-game losing streak against Hutchinson with a 6-3 game two win. The split moves the Conqs to 25-25 on the season and 17-13 in KJCCC action giving the Conqs a winning record in KJCCC play for a season for the first time since 2019.
The win also marks the first against Hutchinson since 2019 and the first in the regular season since 2016 in the series; the win also gives the Conqs at least one win over all eight other KJCCC Division I teams this season.
The Conqs will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, April 26th when they take on Seward County in Liberal for a doubleheader starting at 2:00 pm.
Game 1 – Lost 6-3 vs Hutchinson
The home run ball would get Hutchinson on the board first in game one as the Conqs gave up a solo home run in the first and then a two-RBI triple in the second made it 3-0. The Conqs would breakthrough in the fourth as
Elly Tancayo opened the inning with a double and
Whitley Cash followed with an RBI double to score and then an RBI single by
Riley Moore made it 3-2. Hutchinson would extend their lead back out with two runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh on another solo home run. In the bottom of the seventh, the Conqs would make a push getting a leadoff single by
Karen Galaviz and she would ultimately score in the inning as the Conqs would work two more runners on via walks to have the tying run at the plate but only score one run in the seventh falling 6-3.
Nelson and Moore each had a two-hit game in the loss for the Conqs as Nelson was 2-3 with an RBI, while Moore was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Tancayo finished 1-3 with a double and a run scored, while Cash was 1-3 with a run scored, a double, and an RBI.
Shyann Clark was strong in the loss tossing all seven innings giving up six runs on nine hits, two walks, and four hit batters, while striking out two.
Game 2 – Won 6-3 vs Hutchinson
After holding Hutchinson off the scoreboard in the first and second innings the Conqs took the initial lead of the ball game with three runs in the bottom of the second.
Josie Oakley set things in motion in the second with a solo home run and then a two-RBI single by Galaviz gave the Conqs a 3-0 lead. Hutchinson would use three hits in the third to get a run, but the Conqs had an answer as Cash belted a home run to start the bottom of the third and Conqs added another run to lead 5-1 after three innings. In the fifth Hutchinson would get another run and then one more in the sixth but the Conqs countered the run in the sixth with a solo home run by
Anistyn Marcotte. After a strong 5.2 innings from
Jordyn Boxberger, the Conqs turned the game over to Marcotte who shut the door finishing the game with the save as the Conqs earned the 6-3 victory.
Boxberger earned the win in the circle tossing 5.2 innings giving up three runs on 11 hits and no walks, while she was also 1-2 with a run scored and a walk. Marcotte picked up the save tossing 1.1 innings and was 1-3 with a home run in the game.
Conqs had 11 hits in the win as Galaviz, Tancayo, Cash, and Oakley each had a multi-hit game. Galaviz was 2-4 with two RBI, Tancayo was 2-4, Cash went 2-4 with a run scored, a home run, and an RBI, while Oakley was 2-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a home run.
