The Barton Community College softball team dropped a pair of conferences losses Wednesday at 6th ranked Butler Community College 8-0 and 14-3.
The Cougars drop to 6-4 in conference play and 12-8 on the season while Butler improves to 7-1 and 15-1 overall.
Barton next travels to Texas for a Saturday 12:00 p.m. doubleheader at No. 5 Odessa College before returning to conference action hosting Hutchinson on Monday and Dodge City on Wednesday. Both are 1:00 p.m. first serves at Cougar Field.
Game One Recap
The Cougars loaded the bases in the first inning as Kayden Smith doubled to right center out of the leadoff spot for her team leading sixth of the year followed by a one-out Sydni Williams walk and Jaysa Anderson's single.
Butler starter Emma Koeneke locked down on the Cougars after that, closing out the threat striking out two in retiring 7-of-8 batters via strikeouts until being relieved in the top of the fourth.
Madi Young set up all the runs Butler would need, leading off the home half with a single and consecutive stolen bases before scoring on Paige Paxton's single up the middle.
The Grizzlies blew the game open in the ensuing second frame with six runs on two outs. Drawing a two-out walk to extend the at-bat, Young drew a bases loaded walk to push across the first run, Paxton following with a 3-RBI double, and Emily Adler capping the scoring on a 2-run homerun.
Barton added two more hits to their total on Butler relievers, Teegan Krol's fourth inning two-out single and Lexi Dryden's one-out fence banging double in the fifth for her fifth of the season.
Beers took the loss dropping to 4-5 on the year with Elizabeth Horsch working the final two innings allowing a leadoff walk and one-out double for the Grizzlies' final run.
Game Two Recap
The Cougars again loaded the bases in the first inning getting one-out singles by Halie Stoneking and Anderson on either side of Williams' walk. Grizzly hurler and reigning pitcher of the week Allyson Montgomery struck out here second of the inning but came inside too far in catching Teegan Krol on the elbow pushing across the Cougars' run.
Montgomery struck out her third of the frame then followed in the second with two more in sending the Cougars down in order to earn the win improving to 7-0.
Leading the Cougar hurlers in strikeouts and wins, Jessica Morgan failed to get out of the first inning in dropping to 5-3 on the year. Butler put five runs on the board on four hits then tacked on four more on reliever Savannah Benson behind four hits including a home run to build a 9-1 lead.
A pair of Barton errors led to a sacrifice fly run in the third inning with the Grizzlies adding four more runs in the fourth on a two-run home run, a single, and groundout.
Aside from the first inning, the Cougars' best opportunity to put more runs on the board came in the final fifth inning. Williams connected on a one-out single with Kennedee Lara's walk extending the frame followed by Krol' single to load the bags with Adreanna Lance' hit driving two across the dish.
Benson worked three innings of relief with Horsch making her second appearance of the day in pitching the Grizzlies final frame of at-bats.