Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4 Dodge City softball traveled down to Denison, Texas, to compete at the Winter Blast Tournament and took on some top-flight competition. The Conquistadors posted a 1-3 record in the two-day tournament, falling to #22 Temple 8-1, #3 Grayson 4-0, and #7 Paris 10-0, and capping the tournament with a 10-2 win over Vernon

The Conqs move to 4-4 on the season with the action in Denison. 

Up next, non-conference play continues for the Conqs as they travel to Enid, Oklahoma, to take on Northern Oklahoma-Enid for a doubleheader on Tuesday, February 17th, starting at 1:00 pm. The Conqs will then be at home against Otero on Saturday, February 21st, for a twinbill starting at 1:00 pm. 

Game 1 – Lost 8-1 vs #22 Temple 
The Conqs opened the Winter Blast Tournament, taking on the first of three ranked opponents as they squared with #22 Temple. After getting two outs to open the game, the Conqs saw Temple hit a double, then get a walk, before blasting a home run to give them a 3-0 lead. The Conqs answered in the bottom of the first with a leadoff walk by Kloe Nelson and then an RBI double by Avery McCloskey, but would trail 3-1 after the first inning. Temple added a run in the third to lead 4-1, and it would remain tight until the sixth as Temple took more of a firm hold on the lead with two more runs before adding another in the seventh, and the Conqs fell 8-1. 

Conqs had just five hits in the loss as Riley Moore was 2-2 with a walk, while McCloskey was 1-3 with a double and an RBI. Sophie Faidley and Cadie McCracken each chipped in a hit. 

Karli George tossed 5.2 innings of action in the loss, while McCloskey finished the game with 1.1 innings of work. 

Game 2 – Lost 4-0 vs #3 Grayson 
Day one of action at the Winter Blast Tournament saw the Conqs take on #3 Grayson, and the Conqs would hold the Vikings of Grayson to just four runs, but were unable to get the offense going. Grayson grabbed the early lead with a run in the first inning and then tallied two in the third before scoring their final run in the sixth inning. The Conqs' pitching and defense kept the contest close, but the offense managed only two base runners, with just two walks, in the 4-0 loss. 

McCloskey had a solid outing against the Vikings, giving up just three runs on eight hits and one walk, while striking out three. Shyann Clark tossed the final two innings, giving up just one run on two hits and striking out one. 

Game 3 – Lost 10-0 vs #7 Paris (6 innings)
For the third straight game, the Conqs took on a ranked opponent, playing #7 Paris, and would keep it close for five innings, but see the Dragons' breakthrough for a big sixth inning to end the game. Conqs worked around a pair of singles and a walk in the bottom of the first by Paris to keep them off the board, and through three innings, the offense was minimal on both sides as the game remained scoreless. Paris scratched a run across in the fourth and fifth innings, but the Conqs only trailed 2-0 entering the sixth inning. After a quiet top of the sixth by the Conq bats, Paris had an offensive outburst, plating eight runs to cap the game in six innings of action at 10-0. 

The Conqs were unable to register a hit for the second straight game. Jordyn Boxberger on the mound had a strong first five innings of working finishing with 5.2 innings of action, while Clark also saw action. 

Game 4 – Won 10-2 vs Vernon (5 innings)
Looking to close out the tournament on a positive note, the Conqs offense got going on the way to the victory over Vernon. In the bottom of the first, Danica Miller led the inning off with a single, and after stealing second, she would score on an RBI single by McCracken. McCloskey later in the first drove in two more runs for the Conqs on a double to make it a 3-0 early lead for the Conqs. Vernon closed the gap in the top of the third, plating a pair of runs to make it a 3-2 contest. The Conqs responded in a big way, scoring six in the bottom of the third as Boxberger had an RBI double, McCloskey had her second run-producing double of the game, Moore added a sac-fly to score a run, and Faidley belted a three-run home run in the frame. An RBI single by George added another run for the Conqs in the fourth to lead 10-2. In the fifth, Vernon got a one-out double, but the Conqs capped the game, inducing a pair of groundouts to finish the contest 10-2. 

Conqs pounded out 13 hits with five Conqs recording a multi-hit game. McCloskey was 2-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and a run scored, while Miller added a 2-3 game with a run scored and a stolen base. Harley Shoaf posted a 2-2 game with a run scored and a stolen base, and McCracken was 2-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. 

George earned the win in the circle, tossing all five innings, giving up just two unearned runs on three hits and no walks.