Colby Softball finishes 3rd at Regionals

Photo Courtesy by Ed Bailey

DODGE CITY, Kan. - The Colby Community College softball program placed third at the Region VI Tournament last weekend in Dodge City as the Trojans finished the season with a 39-14 record. Colby went 3-2 on Friday through Sunday, with victories over Garden City and two wins over Dodge City. Freshman Kaylee Sheets had three home runs over the weekend with 11 RBIs in the five games.

The Trojans defeated Dodge City 9-3 under the lights on Friday night to advance to the winner's bracket. On Saturday, they fell 7-2 to 15th-ranked Butler, defeated Garden City 12-0, and defeated Dodge City 7-3 to advance to the semifinals on Sunday morning. Colby started hot with a 2-0 lead over 14th-ranked Hutchinson, but the Blue Dragons responded with six unanswered runs. The Trojans scored two more runs in the 5th inning but fell 6-4 to conclude the season.

Recap versus Dodge City 

To start the Tournament, the Trojans faced the host Dodge City in the final game of day one. Colby trailed 1-0 after the first inning and, later in the fourth inning, gained the lead with a three-run inning. The Conquistadors tied the game at three all in the fifth inning, but the Trojans once again responded with two runs of their own to take the lead back, 5-3. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Sheets connected on a grand slam that gave Colby a 9-3 advantage going into the 7th inning. Abby Sims closed the game and picked up her 22nd win of the season. With the victory, the Trojans advanced to the championship bracket quarterfinals to face 15th-ranked Butler. 

Sheets provided four RBIs with one hit in the contest, and Kiley Avery went two for three from the plate with two runs. 

Recap versus Butler

The Trojans went scoreless for the first five innings of action as Butler scored two in the second and three in the third to lead 5-0 early on. Colby got on the board in the fifth, but the Grizzlies responded in the bottom of the inning with two more runs to lead the Trojans, 7-1. The Trojans continued to fight with another run in the sixth but could not complete the rally as Colby fell into the back draw of the bracket with a 7-2 defeat. 

Recap versus Garden City

In the double-elimination tournament, the Trojans were in a win-or-go-home scenario for the rest of the way. Colby started strong against the Broncbusters with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and followed that up with eight runs in the bottom of the second inning to lead 12-0. The Trojans put it into cruise control and defeated Garden City 12-0. Abby Sims and Alexa Wade combined for zero earned runs, as Sims picked up win number 23 on the year.

The top offensive performer for the Trojans was Kaylee Armstrong, who went two for three from the plate, four RBIs, and a double in the contest. 

Recap versus Dodge City

The final game on Saturday night featured a match-up from the day before as the Trojans faced the Conquistadors in the quarterfinals of the backside of the bracket. The Trojans scored first with a run in the first inning, but Dodge City took the lead in the third with two runs of their own. The game got tied up in the bottom of the third as Colby scored another run, 2-2. The Conqs went on to take the lead 3-2 in the top of the fifth inning, but the Trojans responded with five runs in the sixth inning with home runs by Kaycee Valencia, and Kaylee Sheets. Alexa Wade went on to pick up the victory from the circle for her 16th win this season. 

Kaylee Armstrong went three for two from the plate with two RBIs and a home run in the contest. 

Recap versus Hutchinson

Colby faced off against 14th-ranked Hutchinson on Sunday morning in the semifinals of the Region VI Tournament. In another win-or-go-home contest, the Trojans started with a two-run home run by Kaycee Valencia in the top of the first inning. The Blue Dragons went on to take the lead with three runs in the first and extended their lead in the second with three more runs, 6-2. The Trojans rallied in the fifth inning to score two more runs but could not catch up to the Blue Dragons as they fell 6-4.

Armstrong provided two hits, an RBI, and a double in the contest. Valencia went two for four with three RBIs and a home run. Addi Christiansen provided a double in the contest as well. 

The Trojans made it to Sunday's championship day and went 3-2 on the weekend. They entered the Region VI Tournament as the three seed and concluded the weekend in third place at the Region VI Tournament as they finished with a 39-14 record and 25-8 in conference action. A conclusion to a great season, thank you to all those who supported the program and the sophomores for their dedication to the program.