Liberal, Kansas – Wednesday afternoon marked the final time of the 2024 season as the Seward County Lady Saints softball team honored their four sophomores before taking on Dodge City where despite a late comeback in game one that fell one run short, SCCC managed to hold strong for a game two win to split the doubleheader.
After honoring their four sophomores in Noemi Tudon, Aaliyah Gutierrez, Morgan McDaniel, and Samantha Gomez, the Lady Saints were able to grab the first lead of game one with Tudon singling on a line drive to center to drive in Kaylin Jones for a 1-0 lead in the first. From their Kamryn Martinez was able to retire batter after batter until the fourth when the Conqs scored five runs to push in front of Seward County while another score in the fifth made it a 6-1 for DC3.
Jones stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the fifth for a 2 RBI single to trim the deficit to three while a big double on a fly ball to left from Raeana Ortiz closed the gap to one. Alyna Frazier helped lock the score up with an RBI single on a line drive to enter the seventh tied up at 6-6. After neither side could score in the final inning of regulation, free softball was in store for fans as they entered the eighth where Dodge City scored on an RBI single to make it 7-6 and despite their best efforts, SCCC could not respond as they fell in heartbreaking fashion in game one.
The Conquistadores took the first lead of game two with another RBI single on a line drive out to left field for a 1-0 advantage as the Lady Saints continued to fight through the next few innings in an attempt to lock the score back up. Hailey Michalik singled on a ground ball to center that drove in the tying runner in Gomez while Frazier stepped up and connect on a line drive to bring home Brooklyn Castagnetta for a 2-1 lead in favor of SCCC.
Ortiz showed off her speed around the bases as she hammered out an RBI triple to the right field fence to extend the Lady Saints’ lead in the fifth 3-1 before another score by Dodge City put it back to a one score game 3-2 entering the bottom of the sixth. One of the best hitters in the Jayhawk stepped up I the form of Anberlin O’Dell who slugged out a 2 RBI single to give Seward County their largest lead yet 5-2 before DC3 scored three runs in the seventh to tie it all back up at 5-5.
Two outs, two on base, one hit needed to bring home the game winning run and Jones did just that as she connected on a single to bring home Ortiz and grab a 7-6 win in game two for a split on the day against their KJCCC rival.
Seward County now improve to 25-19 overall on their 2024 season after their final game at home while also sitting with a 19-11 record in Jayhawk conference action. The Lady Saints will wrap up their 2024 season on the road this upcoming Friday when they face Butler in El Dorado before preparing for the Region VI Tournament next week in Dodge City.
