It wasn't the prettiest of victories for the Barton Community College softball team in Wednesday afternoon's Region VI winner's bracket but the No. 9 Lady Cougars survived winning 3-1 over Colby Community College at El Dorado's East Park. Getting the timely hits they needed combined with solid pitching, Barton advances to the 7:00 p.m. finals of the winner's bracket versus the host and No. 6 ranked Butler Community College. Colby drops to the elimination side of the bracket set to face Seward County Community College in the 5:00 p.m. game.
Sent down in order three of the first four innings, a defensive web gem by McKenna Mauler to end the Colby fifth infused new life into the Lady Cougars as the Great Bend sophomore made a spectacular diving stop flipping to Jenna Hosey at second.
The lone Colby error of the game gave the Lady Cougars the crack they needed in the home half of the inning as Payton Summers left field fly was mishandled. With speedster Kelsie Doll inserted to pinch run, Holly Posegate sent the Great Bend freshman sprinting around the bases with a double to left center giving Barton the 1-0 lead.
Pitching a nearly flawless game in the circle, Posegate's lone error came in the following inning leaving a 1-2 pitch over the outer third of the plate as Kylee Burnside made her pay with a tying shot over the right field fence.
Despite Mara Nash throwing darts for most of the game, Jayden Gonzales wasn't about to go down for the third time on strikes jumping on the first pitch on her third appearance to the plate launching a liner over the right field fence for her fourteenth of the season. Brittany Wood kept the momentum rolling with a double to the gap with Summers driving in the insurance run one out later.
Posegate earned the win improving the sophomore's season mark to 24-3 striking out seven while walking only one and leading the offensive charge with a 2-for-2 effort including two doubles.
Nash took the loss dropping to 11-6 on the season despite striking out thirteen Lady Cougars in her 5.2 innings of work scattering the six hits.
Complete tournament information can be found at www.kjccc.org.