Cougars win two at Broken Arrow Tournament; conference action next
The Barton Community College softball team won a pair of games at Broken Arrow, Oklahoma recently and now turns its focus to the Jayhawk West season. Barton is currently 5-9 on the season after its 2-4 outing in Oklahoma. The Cougars won two on Saturday scoring 30 runs in 3 games then dropped all 3 Sunday, scoring just 4 total runs. Barton will start its Jayhawk West slate Wednesday when the Cougars travel to Garden City. Barton will be at home Saturday against Seward at 2 pm.
Highlights
Barton played it next foe – Garden City – twice at the Broken Arrow Tournament, losing both times. The Cougars dropped a tough 11-9 decision to start the tournament Saturday and later fell 12-1 to the Broncbusters Sunday. Barton led Garden in the opener by a 6-1 count after a pair of innings scoring 4 times on 4 hits in the 1st. Megan Charlton drove in the final 2 with a single that scored Brigette Hitschmann and Kortney Friess. Hitschmann and Friess both drove in runs earlier in the inning. Cheryl Raesz made it 6-1 with a 2-run homer in the 2nd. But Garden scored the game's next 8 runs to take a 9-6 lead after a 6-run top of the 5th. Barton battled back to 9-8 with single runs in the 5th and 6th but couldn't catch the Broncbusters. Raesz ended the game with 4 hits, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored.
Barton kept its offense going in the 2nd game Saturday, shutting out Southwestern Illinois by a 9-0 count. The Cougars scored 3 in the 2nd and 5 in the 3rd to take command of the contest. Savanna Rutkowski started the scoring with a lead-off homer in the 2nd. Jenissa Hendrickson drove in 4 in the win, including 3 in the 3rd with a bases-clearing hit. Rutkowski drove in 3 and Charlton scored 3 times. Sarah Permenter threw the 5-inning shutout for Barton allowing just 3 hits in the win.
Barton closed out Saturday with another resounding win, drilling Coastal Bend (Texas) 12-1. Jackie Fehr tossed a nice game for the Cougars, allowing only 1 unearned run and just 2 hits in the win. At the plate, Barton took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st on the shoulders of a Rachel Olguin 2-run homer. The Cougars exploded for 7 in the 3rd to grab a 10-0 lead and coasted for the win. The Cougars banged out 12 hits in contest with Ashley Newberry, Olguin, Kayla Hoskins, Friess, and Asia Newberry all getting 2. Olguin drove in 3.
Those offensive numbers would all but disappear the next day, however, as Barton lost to Northeastern Oklahoma 10-1, Garden City 12-1, and Connors State (Okla) 4-2. Barton had 4 hits in the opener and 4 hits in the loss to Garden – one a solo homer by Hitschmann. The Cougars did compete in the final game in a pitching duel. Barton took a 1-0 lead in the 1st on Raesz' 4th homer of the year but Connors tied it in the bottom of the 1st and took a 2-1 lead in the 3rd. That is how the game stayed until the 7th. Barton tied the game 2-all on an Olguin homer. Connors State, however, also flexed some power with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning to end the game. Permenter went the distance, allowing just 5 hits in the loss.
Barton's next 4 dates will be Jayhawk West doubleheaders, starting at Garden Wednesday and home against Seward Saturday. The Cougars will be back on the road Monday at Colby in a makeup contest from March 12 then host Butler in an April Fools' Day showdown at Great Bend.
Stats
Stats can be found at www.bartonccc.edu/sports
Next
March 25 – at Garden 3 pm (Jayhawk West doubleheader at Garden City)
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