Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Dodge City baseball capped the first KJCCC series of the season with a pair of tough losses on the road to #16 Hutchinson as the Conquistadors were unable to stick with the Blue Dragons on the day, falling 11-3 and 21-9.

The Conqs with the losses fall to 11-12 on the season and 0-4 in KJCCC action.

Up next, the Conqs prepare for a midweek game against McCook on Tuesday, March 17th, for a single nine-inning game at 2:00 pm. Conqs will return to conference action against Butler later in the week, playing in El Dorado on Thursday, March 19th, and then hosting on Saturday, March 21st.

Game 1 – Lost 11-3 at #16 Hutchinson
After Hutchinson opened the scoring on the day with a run in the first inning, the Conqs had an answer as Preston Harrison belted a solo home run in the second to tie the game at 1-1. The Conqs worked around a two-out single by the Blue Dragons in the bottom of the second and then took the lead in the third, capitalizing on a pair of walks and getting an RBI single by Jonah Andrade to lead 3-1. The lead was short-lived as the Conqs saw Hutchinson tally two runs of their own in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 3-3. Blue Dragons then regained the lead with a run in the fourth before going on to score another in the fifth and six more in the sixth to ultimately send the Conqs to an 11-3 loss.

Conqs had just four hits in the loss. Andrade was 1-3 with an RBI, and Harrison was 2-3 with a run scored, an RBI, a double, and a home run. Cameron Stukenborg had the lone other hit, going 1-3. On the mound, Austen Raines was solid in three innings, giving up three runs on three hits, while Sam Spencere, Connor Lovin, and Dariel Luna all saw action.

Game 2 – Lost 21-9 at #16 Hutchinson (7 innings)
The series finale saw the Conqs start strong with a leadoff walk, followed by a pair of singles and a two-RBI triple by Will Soto, which helped the Conqs lead 3-0. Blue Dragons again had an answer as they plated three runs of their own in the first to make it 3-3 after one inning. In the bottom of the second, Hutchinson grabbed the lead with five runs, but the Conqs fought back in the third, using four hits and a walk to get three runs, making it a two-run game. A sacrifice fly in the fourth by Harrison brought the Conqs to within one at 8-7, but in the bottom of the fourth, Hutchinson used the long ball to grow their lead back out with two runs. The Conqs scratched a run across in the fifth and sixth inning but during that time Hutchinson scored seven and four in the innings and took the series finale 21-9 in seven innings.

In the loss, the Conqs had 15 hits, including a 5-5 outing by Ben Longoria, who had three runs scored and two doubles. Soto added a 3-4 performance with a run scored, a triple, and three RBI, while Nic Cipolla was 2-3 with a walk, and Angel Vazquez went 2-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a walk. The Conqs used six different pitchers in the contest.