Cougars split games at Dodge and Seward
The Barton County Community College softball got off to a 2-0 start to Jayhawk West play but an 0-2 start to Region VI as the always complicated West and region races get underway. The Cougars won a pair of West games at Dodge City 11-3 and 15-10 but lost a pair of Region VI contest later in the week to Seward 5-3 and 21-4 at Liberal. The games at Seward were not West games. Those contests will be played later this year in Great Bend as the Cougars play each Region VI team 4 times – of which only 2 count toward the West race.

Highlights
Barton used a 6-run 7th inning to break open a 5-3 game in the opener at Dodge for the 11-3 win over the Conquistadors. A 3-run homer by Alicia Salazar keyed the 6-run inning. Cheryl Raesz also drove in 3 and Myra Ramos hit a 2-run in the contest. Deanna Young had 3 hits and 2 RBI. Whitney Boeh went the distance on the mound for the Cougars to pick up the win.

Barton won a slugfest in the 2nd game at Dodge, jumping to a 7-0 lead then holding off the Conquistadors for the sweep. Ramos hit 2 homers in the contest and drove in 5 runs. She hit a 3-run homer in the 5th and a 2-run shot in the 7th. Allen and Roxanne Longoria also homered in the game for Barton with Allen belting a 2-run shot in the 2nd and Longoria a 2-run shot in the 3rd. Allen had 5 hits in the game and scored 4 times. The Cougars gave up 7 unearned runs in the win as Brigette Hitschmann allowed just 2 earned runs in the win.

Barton wasn't as fortunate in Liberal as the Cougars lost a close game 5-2 in the opener. Barton took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd when Salazar tripled in Ramos but Seward scored 3 times in the 3rd for a 3-1 lead. Barton cut it to 3-2 in the 5th when Longoria scored. But 2 more Saint runs in the 5th –  the inning started off with 2 errors – made the climb too step for the Cougars who added another run in the 7th on an Allen RBI.

Barton led 2-0 early in the nightcap before the wheels feel off at Seward. Raesz doubled in Boeh and Megan Wedel in the top of the 2nd for the lead. But the bottom of the 2nd saw the Seward pound out 10 hits and Barton commit 6 errors which resulted in 15 Saint runs.

Stats
Stats can be found at www.bartonccc.edu/sports

Next 
March 15 – at Neosho, 2 pm (at Chanute)