After picking up the first conference win of the season in a doubleheader split on the road in El Dorado against Butler, the Dodge City baseball team came home to continue the series with the Grizzlies and dropped a pair of offensive slugfests. The Conquistadors fell 19-16 and 12-8 to cap the series against Butler. 

The losses move the Conqs to 12-16 on the season and 1-7 in KJCCC action. 

Conqs will take on McPherson College on Monday, March 23rd, in a doubleheader, but game two will be just a scrimmage. Then, the Conqs return to conference play as they will host Cloud County on Thursday, March 26th, before traveling to Concordia on Saturday, March 28th. 

Game 1 – Lost 19-16 vs Butler 
The home run ball played a large role on the day between both teams as game one featured 14 combined home runs. Butler opened the day by blasting three solo home runs over the first four batters of the contest. Conqs got on the board in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Preston Harrison and a two RBI single from Cameron Stukenborg to tie the game at 3-3. Butler regained the lead with three runs in the second, and then a three-run homer by Jonah Andrade in the bottom of the second for the Conqs tied the game at 6-6. The Conqs then saw Butler tally two in the third and five in the fourth before scoring themselves, again. In the fifth, Ben Longoria belted a solo home run, then Hunter Morgan drove in a run on a single, and Stukenborg blasted a three-run homer, making it 13-11. Butler again countered by plating a run in the fifth and five more in the sixth. The Conqs continued to battle, getting three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh before having their comeback attempt fall short 19-16. 

Conqs notched 16 hits with five multi-hit games in the matchup. Stukenborg was 3-4 with a pair of home runs, seven RBI, and two runs scored, while Harrison also had three hits, going 3-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Angel Vazquez, Andrade, Longoria, and Will Soto each tallied two hits. 

Game 2 – Lost 12-8 vs Butler  
Just like the other games in the series, the finale featured plenty of offense, and it was Butler taking the early lead, scoring a run in the first and two more in the second. The Conqs, however, responded in the bottom of the second with four runs to grab the lead as Bynum Martinez belted a grand slam to get the Conqs on the board. The lead remained until the top of the fourth when Butler had another outburst, scoring six, then both teams tallied a run in the sixth before Butler tacked on two in the seventh to lead 12-5. In the bottom of the eighth, back-to-back solo home runs by Harrison and Stukenborg pulled the Conqs to within five. Vazquez notched a home run in the ninth, but the Conqs would end the potential push for a comeback on a tough luck spot, falling 12-8. 

Offense packed a punch again for the Conqs with 12 hits. Stukenborg was 3-4 again, recording three runs scored, two RBI, and two home runs. Soto added a 2-4 game with a walk, and Andrade was 2-5 with a double.