A solid late inning defensive play prevented the Barton Community College softball team from salvaging Wednesday's doubleheader hosting Butler Community College as the 17th ranked Grizzlies would prevail in extra innings to complete the sweep.

Butler led throughout game one with a key four-run fourth inning providing the separation as the teams concluded the opener firing on all cyclinders with the Grizzlies outscoring Barton 8-4 in the final frame for a 16-5 victory.

The Cougars led through the first two innings of the nightcap before a trio of Butler runs in the fourth and fifth surged the Grizzlies ahead. Barton fought back in the home half plating two, getting the tying run in the sixth as Butler's JaKeya McDaniel made a running catch in the right-center field gap preventing the Cougars' go-ahead run.

Having split the late February doubleheader in El Dorado, the Cougars escaped the seventh leaving a pair of Grizzlies on the basepaths giving Barton the last shot at victory.  Allyson McDougal's lone hit to extend the freshman's hit streak to nine straight games gave hope on a 1-out single but again Butler came up with another defensive gem rolling up a double play sending the game to extra innings.

Scoring a combined twelve runs in the opener's final frame, the teams would score six in the extra eighth inning as a leadoff double sparked five more hits in the Butler at-bat for five runs.  The Cougars began their last at-bat with a pair of hits to score one run but Butler closed the door on a strikeout and pair of groundouts.

The losses send Barton to 13-7 in league and 16-14 overall while Butler stays tied atop the standings at 16-2 and 28-6 overall.

The Cougars have a pair of 1:00 p.m. road contests next on the schedule beginning Saturday at Colby Community College followed by Wednesday's trip to Seward County.