Dropping a controversial 10-9 first game, the Barton Community College softball team pounded out a 9-1 five inning shortened game two to split Friday's doubleheader at Cougar Field against the junior varsity squad from Kansas Wesleyan University. Eerily similar to Barton's two-run collapse in Wednesday's game against Garden City, the Cougars led 9-7 with one out in the top of the seventh before a two RBI double to right field appeared to land well into foul territory but was ruled in play allowing KWU to tie it up. Three batters later the Coyotes pushed across the game winning hit then held on to strand two Barton runners in the home half to win 10-9. The Cougars bounced back in the second game getting two runs in the first and third innings then put the game away in the fourth with a four run inning in route to the 9-1 win. The doubleheader split leaves Barton at 12-8 on the season while the KWU junior varsity stands at 9-4. The Cougars will have a few days off to conclude the College's spring break before preparing for a return to conference action next Wednesday to take on No. 1 ranked Butler Community College. Barton, 2-4 in conference play, travels to El Dorado to take on the 14-3 Grizzlies who stand atop the Jayhawk standings at 2-0 in a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader at East Park.
Game One
In an explosive first inning to open up the doubleheader, the teams combined for seven runs. KWU produced three runs on two hits, the big blow coming on Azaria Romero's two out single up the middle. The Cougars answered in the home half as Bailey Hensley set the table with a leadoff double, one of four hits the freshman from Ellis, Kansas, would get in the first game. Fellow Ellis freshman Candace Bollig followed with a walk before Emilia Davies drove in the first of her three RBIs with a double to center field. Following a walk by Erika Harper, the Cougars leading hitting Ashlyn Osborne drove in two runs with single up the middle. Britney Meyer added a single and Brianna Ward added a walk setting up Stephanie Morrison's sac fly giving the Cougars a 4-3 lead after the first inning of play.
Leading off the second inning, Hensley tripled to right field for the second consecutive inning getting an extra base hit. An RBI ground out by Davies would score Hensley to stretch the lead out to 5-3.
Making her first collegiate start and only the second appearance in the center circle, Davies struggled in the third as the Coyotes regained the lead getting four runs and chasing Davies from the game. Jaelyn Monhollon came in to relieve Davies stranding two runners on base.
The Cougars went silent for three innings until a four-run sixth regained the lead at 9-7. With two outs in the inning, Hensley, Bollig, and Davies strung together three consecutive singles to draw to within one. Down in the count 0-2, Harper worked the count to full before launching her fifth home run of the season to right center giving the Cougars a two run lead to the seventh.
After the Coyotes led off the inning with a single, a fly out put the Coyotes down to their last two outs. A Barton infield error preventing a double play possibility kept the inning alive as Shelby Craig delivered the controversial two RBI double down the right field line to tie the contest. Three batters later a right field single by Apryl Saunders proved to be the game winning hit giving the Coyotes the 10-9 lead.
Morrison with a one-out single and Hensley with a two-out single gave the Cougars life in the seventh but the Coyotes Taylor Heins got Bollig to fly out to center to end the game.
Despite Barton outhitting KWU 14-10, Heins struck out nine to get the victory. Working the last 4.2 innings, Monhollon took the loss despite limiting KWU to only four hits and one earned run to drop to 6-5 on the season. Starting pitcher Davies went 2.2 innings striking out one and giving up six hits and four walks while allowing seven runs, only three coming as earned.
Game Two
On the way to a perfect 4-4 performance in game two, Emilia Davies sparked a two-run first inning lacing a double to right field. Erika Harper followed with another double to right center, advanced to third on a passed ball, and then gave Barton a 2-0 lead scampering home on a KWU outfield error.
Carrie Weigland lead off the second inning with a triple to right field then scored on Maci Methola's squeeze bunt to cut the Coyote deficit to one.
After a scoreless second, the Cougars got consecutive doubles by Davies and Harper with one-out then a Stephanie Morrison two-out RBI single to push the lead out to 4-1.
Barton put the game out of reach in the fourth inning with four runs getting a RBI single from Davies, a two-out double by Harper, and a KWU outfield error.
A one-out walk by Hensley and a Bollig double to left center set up Davies' second RBI as the sophomore delivered a double to center to end the contest.
Ashlyn Osborne improved to 6-3 on the season striking out two of her five strikeouts in the fifth inning, surrendering only five hits and walking one in earning the victory. Courtney Williams took the loss for KWU giving up eleven hits, seven earned runs, two walks, and struck out eight as the Coyotes struck out Barton seventeen times in the doubleheader.