The Barton Community College softball team ran its record to 3-0 on the season on Saturday with a 6-4 victory over Hesston College.
The Cougars were scheduled for a doubleheader but game two against Otero Junior College ended in a non-contest after darkness forced the cancellation of the two nationally receiving squads in the fourth inning. Otero defeated Hesston 6-3 earlier in the day improving to 3-0 on the year but the three hour affair pushed the Barton-Hesston game start seventy-five minutes past its scheduled time. Hesston left Cougar Field with the pair of losses, dropping to 0-4 on the early season.
Karsyn Smith picked up the victory, improving to 2-0 on the year with a career high seven strikeouts, but the day didn't start well with a two-run first inning put up by the Larks.
After striking out the first batter, Smith surrendered consecutive singles as Marrissa Harrison drove home Alexis Silvey. One out later Anyssa Aguilar put the Larks up two with the RBI single.
Kayli Dryden began her 3-for-4 afternoon with a single, advancing to second on a stolen base before being joined by Jade Phillips in drawing a four-pitch walk. Following both moving a base ahead on a double steal, the Cougars were down to their final out before Demi Kunkel extended the inning to load the bases drawing a walk. Working the count to 2-0, Lia Chan put the Cougars ahead for good lacing a double to the right center gap clearing the bases and a 3-2 Barton lead.
Dryden extended the ensuing home half of second, lacing a shot down the left field line for her first collegiate double before scoring easily on Phillips' single in fighting off a 3-2 count.
The lead would grow to 6-2 in the fourth via collegiate firsts with the Dryden family accounting for a pair of runs. First it was Lexi Dryden anchoring the lineup card roping a hit up the middle for her first hit of the year, then swiping second for another collegiate first in the stolen base category. Cousin Kayli, just like Phillips in the second inning, connected on a full count pitch, driving a lined shot to straight-away center for her initial collegiate dinger while pushing Lexi across the plate for her first time.
Hesston chipped away at the margin with a solo run in the fifth coming on a botched run-down play followed the next inning on 1-out double preceding consecutive singles with Chelsea Smith driving in the Larks final fourth run.