Rain sweeping through the El Dorado area forced the cancellation of Wednesday's Barton Community College softball game at Butler Community College. In a much anticipated matchup between the top ten nationally ranked teams fighting for a conference title, the game was cancelled following a second rain delay coming in the fifth inning causing the East Park diamond unplayable. The No. 6 ranked Cougars rallied twice in the game tying up the No. 7 Grizzlies at two apiece before play was halted with Barton having the bases loaded with two outs. Make-up date yet to be determined.
Butler took a first inning lead after Alexis Clinton's leadoff double scored on Becca Schulte's 0-2 pitch doubled off the center field fence.
Having stranded a Cadie O'Donnell single and stolen base in the first inning, the Cougars didn't waste the next opportunity in the second as McKenna Mauler delivered the game tying two-strike single up the middle scoring pinch runner Caitlin Molyneux from second base. Molyneux was inserted in the lineup after Payton Summers was hit by a pitch followed by Holly Posegate's single to right.
Madison Didion would strike out four in her four innings of work but the Grizzlies first inning 0-2 hit and a third inning 2-2 two-out solo homerun put Butler back in the lead at 2-1.
Following the first rain delay with Butler at-bat in the fourth with two outs, Didion quickly got the Cougars to the fifth inducing a harmless ground ball back to the circle.
Barton went to work with one-out in the top of the final inning getting singles by Maddison Schofield and O'Donnell before Jayden Gonzales loaded the bases after becoming the second Cougar to get plunked by a pitch. Still atop the nation's top three runs batted in, Brittany Wood snapped a three game drought driving in the tying run with a sharp single to left leaving the bases loaded. Following a Jenna Hosey fielder's choice resulting in a force out at home, Summers was left in the box with a one strike count as the second deluge forced the cancellation.