The Barton Community College softball team earned a pair of tough one run victories Wednesday at Colby Community College as the Cougars won 1-0 and 5-4.
The Cougars remain unbeaten in conference play at 6-0 improving to 10-7 on the season while Colby slides to 4-2 and 14-8 overall.
Barton will put their six game winning streak on the line Friday in El Dorado in a 4:00 p.m. doubleheader at No. 13 ranked Butler Community College.
Jaelyn Carter went 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot, providing Barton's lone run in driving a 0-2 pitch over the right field fence to begin the game for the freshman's fourth long ball of the season.
Pitching the complete seven innings under the pressure of just the one run lead, Tia Kohl sent the first nine Trojans down in order with a hit-by-pitch breaking up a perfect game in the bottom of the fourth. Kohl closed the door on the opportunity by fielding a sac bunt for the first out before striking out the final two in ending the threat stranded at second base.
A one-out walk was erased in the home half of the fifth by catcher Maggie Schuetz gunning out a stolen base attempt but Kohl's no-hit bid was spoiled by opposing hurler Mahealani Haegele's center field single. Kohl then sent down the next six batters, ending with a walk to begin the seventh but sent the next three down including chalking up her eighth strikeout improving to 4-3 on the year.
A pair of walks to start the home half of the second game help set up Colby's first run of the day as a passed ball aided the situation before a ground out pushed the run across the dish.
Consecutive two out fourth inning doubles put the Cougars out in front with Alexis Sharples double driving in Betsy Parmley's leadoff single with Carter's double plating Jayden Solberg's one-out walk and Sharples.
Colby responded in the home half beginning with consecutive singles to open up the frame both scoring to tie the game on Emily Brackett's laced double to right center.
The Trojans benefitted by a leadoff walk being joined by two more free passes on two outs to load the bases, delivering the go-ahead run on a single.
Solberg drawing a walk began the sixth with Jade Phillips hot line drive to left field causing a pitching change on the threat. The Trojans brought back out their ace in Haegele but Sharples, who had gone 0-3 against Haegele in game one, narrowly missed a home run in driving the game winning runs home on a deep double off the center field fence.
Haegele would try to help her cause in the home half with a one-out single but Horsch sent the next five Trojans down in order, including a pair of strikeouts in protecting her club's lead improving to 3-2 on the year.
Phillips and Sharples, the No. 8 and 9 in the batting order, led the Cougars' ten hits with two hits each with Sharples driving in three of Barton's runs and leadoff hitter Carter driving in the other two to finish the doubleheader batting .500 with three runs batted in.