The history-making continued in the Region 6 Tournament for the Dodge City softball team as they won the program's first region title since 2002, going 4-1 to earn a trip to Oxford, Alabama, to compete in the NJCAA Division I World Series.
The Conquistadors won the Region 6 and Plains District titles by winning the tournament, earning a spot at the NJCAA DI World Series; they previously competed twice at the NJCAA World Series in 2000 and 2002.
The Conqs improved to 46-17 on the season, establishing a new single-season win record for the program. The tournament opened with a commanding 11-1 five-inning win over Garden City, which the Conqs followed up with a 3-2 win over Butler to go 2-0 on day one. On day two, the Conqs took down Hutchinson 4-0 to earn a spot in the championship. Day three, the Conqs suffered a tough 3-2 loss to Butler, forcing the, if necessary, championship game of the tournament. The Conqs responded by earning a 4-2 victory over Butler to take the tournament crown.
The performance of
Karli George and
Avery McCloskey throughout the tournament earned them Region 6 Tournament CO-MVP honors as well as being part of the All-Tournament team.
Kloe Nelson and
Karen Galaviz both picked up All-Tournament team honors.
The season rolls along for the Conqs at the NJCAA DI World Series in Oxford, Alabama, starting May 25th through May 30th at Choccolocco Park.
Game 1 – Won 11-1 vs Garden City (5 innings)
The Conqs set the tone in the first round of the tournament, riding the pitching of
Karli George, who shut down rival Garden City, throwing a five-inning no-hitter. The Conqs grabbed the lead in the second with two runs, with an RBI single by
Karen Galaviz starting the scoring off. Garden City managed to take advantage of a few Conq miscues in the third, getting a run to make it 2-1. In the third, a
Sophie Faidley RBI single pushed the lead to 3-1, and then the offense exploded for the Conqs in the fourth, scoring eight, starting with a two-RBI double by
Loren Sweat and two RBI by
Kloe Nelson. Conqs shut the door on the contest in the fifth, winning 11-1 in run-rule fashion.
George was stellar in the circle, throwing a five-inning no-hitter, giving up one unearned run on five walks, while striking out five.
At the plate, Galaviz paced the Conqs, going 3-4 with a run scored, a home run, and three RBI.
Avery McCloskey went 2-4 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI, while Faidley added a 2-2 game with two runs scored and an RBI.
The win broke the school record for most wins in a single season and marked Head Coach
Mike Viramontez's 100th career coaching victory between his time at Dodge City and Newman.
Game 2 – Won 3-2 vs Butler
It was a pitching duel in the second game of the tournament for the Conqs against Butler, but the Conqs surrendered a run in the third and fifth innings to trail 2-0 late in the contest. In the top of the sixth, two of the team's four hits came and were big in so many ways. After a walk drawn by
Riley Moore, it was Sweat who tied the game up at 2-2 by belting a two-run homer. The next at bat saw the Conqs jump in front as Nelson blasted a solo home run, and the Conqs led 3-2. McCloskey and the Conqs defense set Butler down in order in the bottom of the sixth on three groundouts and then worked around a one-out walk in the bottom of the seventh as McCloskey struckout the final two batters of the game and the Conqs won 3-2.
McCloskey threw seven spectacular innings to earn the win, giving up just two runs on five hits and four walks, while striking out seven.
Sweat, Nelson, McCloskey, and Galaviz each had a hit in the contest, with both Sweat and Nelson hitting home runs.
Game 3 – Won 4-0 vs Hutchinson
After a pitcher's duel in game two of the tournament, the Conqs were locked in another low scoring battle with Hutchinson in the winners' bracket final, and it was a four-run third inning that pushed the Conqs to the victory. Both teams struggled to get opportunities, but the Conqs put together one strong half inning in the third. Faidley led the inning off with a single, a Galaviz walk, and a
Cadie McCracken single, which loaded the bases, and McCloskey and Moore then delivered RBI singles to establish a lead for the Conqs. Then Hutchinson had a pair of miscues as the Conqs reached on a dropped strike three and scored and scored again on a catcher's interference to make it 4-0. George again in the circle was stellar as she stymied the bats of Hutchinson throughout, guiding the Conqs to the 4-0 win.
George picked up another win in the circle, tossing the seven-inning shutout, giving up just three hits and one walk, while striking out five.
Conqs had just five hits but made the best of them as McCracken, McCloskey, Moore, Nelson, and Faidley each tallied a hit.
Game 4 – Lost 3-2 vs Butler
One win away from a region title, the Conqs did battle with Butler for the second time in the tournament, and it was again another low-scoring affair, but it featured more offense. In the third, the Conqs broke through with an RBI single from McCracken, and Butler countered in the bottom of the third with a run to draw even. An RBI single by
Harley Shoaf pushed the Conqs back in front in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the fifth, Butler hit a solo home run to tie the game up at 2-2. After a scoreless sixth, the Conqs worked two into scoring position in the top of the seventh with a McCloskey single and Moore double, but were unable to score. Butler led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and then, after a sacrifice bunt, saw a single to drive in the winning run, lifting Butler to the 3-2 win over the Conqs, sending the tournament to one final game on Monday.
In the loss, McCloskey tossed a solid 6.1 innings, giving up just three runs on seven hits and one walk, while striking out three.
Shoaf led the Conqs with a 2-3 game with a run scored and an RBI, while seven other Conqs recorded a hit in the loss.
Game 5 – Won 4-2 vs Butler
Strong pitching and clutch offense down the stretch proved to be the winning formula for the Conqs in a winner-take-all championship game against Butler. The game remained scoreless through the first three and a half innings before the first run was scored by Butler in the bottom of the fourth. Butler added another run in the fifth to lead 2-0. Once again, the sixth inning proved to be big for the Conqs as they broke through, starting with a Galaviz single to open the inning, followed by a walk by McCracken. McCloskey drove in the first run of the inning on a single, and then Moore tied the game with an RBI single. The lead flipped to the Conqs in the sixth, in the next at-bat after Moore, as Sweat delivered an RBI single to make it 3-2. An RBI single by McCloskey to score Shoaf at the top of the seventh gave the Conqs some insurance, and the Conqs set Butler down in order in the bottom of the seventh to win the Region 6 title with a 4-2 win.
In the circle, George picked up her 22nd win, tossing five innings, giving up just two runs on two hits and five walks, with five strikeouts. McCloskey closed the game earning the save with two scoreless innings giving up just one hit.
McCloskey added a 2-4 game at the plate with two RBI, while Galaviz went 2-4 with a run scored. Nelson added a 2-2 game with a walk.
