CONCORDIA, Kan. – Stringing together just enough offense to secure a 3-1 victory in game one, the Cloud County Community College baseball team would use a big fourth and fifth-inning to go up 10-3 before having to fend off a furious Dodge City rally to win 10-8 and sweep a Friday doubleheader at Lee Doyen Field in Concordia, Kansas.
Rattling off five-straight victories within the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference, the T-Birds are now 21-7 overall and move to 6-4 in the KJCCC. Dodge City meanwhile has lost their last five games to fall to 14-11 overall and 5-5 in the KJCCC.
GAME ONE:
Strong pitching would lead CCCC to a series-opening conference win for the first time this season as the T-Birds would score an unearned run in the bottom of the third to match a single run from DCCC in the top of the third before snagging two runs in the bottom of the fifth that would prove to be the difference in the game. Cloud County would account for the only two hits in the first two innings of play as an infield single from
Ian Riley and bunt single from
Tom Poole would go to waste in the bottom of the first as things would stay scoreless until the Conquistadors would string together a hit batter, base hit, and RBI single to break a scoreless tie.
CCCC would respond with a one-out rally in the bottom of the third as an Alex Diaz single into center field would be followed by Riley's second hit of the game with a base knock into right field setting up an underthrow that would miss the cut-off man and allow both Diaz and Riley to take an extra base. Sophomore
Garrett Redden would then hit a sacrifice fly to score Diaz who would wind up as an unearned run for the T-Birds that would tie things at 1-1.
With both starting pitchers showing no signs of letting up, Dodge City would get a leadoff single in the top of the fourth before having the next three batters retired in order that would be followed by a hitless bottom of the fourth for CCCC. The T-Birds would get one final strong inning from
Giordano Mezzomo on the mound to keep things at a 1-1 tie as
Ty Wevers would hit a leadoff bloop double that would drop just inside the left-field foul line and move to third on a Diaz sacrifice bunt to put the go-ahead run 90 feet away from scoring. Wevers wouldn't have to worry much about making an attempt to score as Riley would turn on a pitch that would be rocketed over the right-field fence for his eighth home run of the year with the two runs putting the T-Birds up 3-1.
Turning things over to
Conner Woods, Cloud County would get a strikeout before a one-out single would set up an inning-ending double-play that would preserve the two-run lead heading into the bottom of the sixth. A chance to add to their lead would get stranded at third as pinch-hitter
Tristan Tenorio would draw a hit-by-pitch before advancing to second on a wild pitch and third on a groundout before seeing
Williams Camacho-Soto just miss out on a two-run homer with left-fielder Jake Miller record the final out of the inning on the warning track just in front of the fence.
With Woods doing his job as a set-up man, Grand Island, Nebraska native
Rans Sanders would be brought on for a save situation as a leadoff single would be followed by a flyout and strikeout to put DCCC down to their final out. With the top of the order due up, Dodge City would draw a hit-by-pitch to put the game-tying runner on base, but a fly out to Riley in center field would end the game and secure the win for the T-Birds.
Both teams would finish the game with six hits as Riley would account for three of CCCC's six hits with Poole, Wevers, and Diaz all finishing with a hit each as two of the six hits would go for extra bases. Mezzomo picked up his third win of the year by matching a career-high with 10 strikeouts in five innings and allowing just one run on four hits as the T-Birds would strike out 12 total batters. Woods and Sanders each accounted for one strikeout while giving up one hit each with Sanders picking up his second save of the year.
GAME TWO:
After appearing to be heading towards another pitcher's duel with Dodge City leading 2-1 heading to the top of the fourth, Cloud County would finally come alive in the bottom of the fourth as Wevers would hit his second double of the day to lead off the inning before coming around to score on an
Adler Pierson RBI groundout to cut the Conquistador lead in half. Riley would draw a walk that would be followed by a wild pitch and RBI single from Redden to tie things up at 3-3 as the T-Birds would continue to put pressure on DCCC with a stolen base from Redden on Poole's at-bat that would end with a two-run no-doubt home run to right field. A fly-out and groundout would end the inning for CCCC, but not before the four runs would give Cloud County their first lead of the game at 5-3 heading to the fifth.
Working with a lead for the first time in the game, T-Bird starter
Christian Womble would be able to work around a two-out single to strand a runner and finish off his fifth inning of work to be in line for his fifth victory of the year that would become more and more likely following a five-run bottom of the fifth from Cloud County. CCCC would use a
Brock Wollin hit-by-pitch, Wevers RBI single, Pierson double, and Riley walk to extend the lead to 6-3 and load the bases with just one out. A wild pitch would allow all three runners to move up 90-feet and extend the lead to four before a strikeout from Redden and Poole walk would load the bases with two outs. Looking for his first hit of the day, designated hitter
Kolden Howerton would come up clutch as a bases-clearing three-RBI double would break the game open and give CCCC their largest lead of the game at 10-7 heading to the sixth.
A quick one-two-three top of the sixth would keep momentum with CCCC as the T-Birds would be unable to add to their lead in the sixth or seventh, but be able to keep Dodge City from cutting into the lead until a single run in the top of the eighth would make it a 10-4 contest.
The 10-4 score would end up carrying over into the top of the ninth as Cloud County would be just three outs away from a doubleheader sweep that would prove to be anything but easy to finish off. A leadoff single and walk for Dodge City would start a ninth-inning rally for the Conquistadors that would gain momentum with a three-run home run to right-center field that would cut the six-run lead to start the inning all the down to three. After a strikeout and fielding error would put another base-runner on, CCCC would make a move to the bullpen that would last all of one batter as a four-pitch walk would now allow the game-tying run to come to the plate.
Calling on Woods for a second time on the afternoon, a big strikeout against pinch-hitter Kory Schmidt would put DCCC down to their last out as the game would be extended with an RBI single that would now bring the go-ahead run to the plate. Woods would stay composed despite the high-intensity situation as the Winfield, Kansas native would get out to a 1-2 count and get a strikeout on a check-swing to end the game and secure a 10-8 victory for Cloud County.
CCCC's 10 runs would come on 11 hits and three walks to go along with three hit batters as nine stranded runners in the game would nearly prove costly with the Conquistador comeback. A three-for-four performance at the plate from Wevers would lead Cloud County as five of the 11 hits would go for extra bases with Howerton's three RBIs leading the T-Birds in production despite just one hit in five at-bats.
Womble continued to add to his team lead in pitching victories, moving to 5-1 overall as Cloud County is now 6-1 in games that Womble starts on the mound this season. Following up the 12-strikeout performance in game one, the CCCC pitching staff would strike out 11 in game two to finish the day with 23 strikeouts.
What's Next?
Cloud County will carry a 2-0 series lead into the conclusion of the four-game set that will take place beginning at 2 PM in Dodge City tomorrow afternoon. A win in either game three or game four will give the T-Birds a second-straight KJCCC series victory as one win would ensure that CCCC remains in the top-three of the KJCCC West following the conclusion of this weekend's play across the league. Six of the last eight games including Friday's doubleheader have been won by Cloud County as the T-Birds hold a 7-3 mark against Dodge City since 2019.
