A stark contrast to the offensive explosion a day prior sixty miles north in Garden City, the Barton Community College softball team grinded out another pair of victories Saturday with an 8-6 and 2-1 win at Seward County Community College.
The Cougars improve to 16-2 in the Jayhawk East and 22-9 on the season with Seward County dropping to 4-4 and 8-21. Barton concludes its six game road swing with a Wednesday's trip to Hutchinson for a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader.
Game One Recap
Barton struck first against the Saints with a two run first frame, the first on Hailey's Pop first of two doubles in the game followed one out later on Betsy Parmley's first of two hits.
The Saints overtook the Cougars' run total with a three-run third on five hits including an RBI double to get Seward County on the board.
A Saint two-out error in the ensuing fourth opened the flood gates in allowing Brooke McCollough's leadoff single to score to tie it up. Two pitches later Jaelyn Carter went deep for the third straight game putting Barton up by two. Nasadiya Salazar kept the train moving with a single but not staying on the paths long in scoring on Pop's second two-bag hit. Demi Kunkel laid off a pair of 2-2 pitches to draw a walk later scoring on a double steal following Parmley's RBI single to short right center.
Tia Kohl (10-3) stranded a solo runner in each of the fourth and fifth but a leadoff single and two-out walk brought a call to the bullpen in Karsyn Smith. Despite an infield error allowing a run to cross, Smith induced a pop-up to get out of the jam.
The Saints got two aboard in the bottom of the seventh with one out, drawing a walk and a single to center. Another Barton error allowed another run to cross with a sac fly providing the final run.
Game Two Recap
Emma Horsch improved to 6-3 on the year after limiting the Saints to just six hits and no walks while striking out four.
The Cougars needed the effort as the bats continued to cool off in collecting just seven hits for the second game in a row.
After the Saints scored their lone run following a pair of two out singles, Barton answered with their own two-out rally in the ensuing fourth inning behind consecutive doubles from Jayden Solberg and Jade Phillips for the equalizer.
Two of the Saints five errors in the game followed by Hailey Pop's walk loaded the bases with no outs in the next frame but McCollough's ensuing RBI single would be all the Cougars could put on the board.
Horsch sent the Saints down in order in the fifth, induced a pair of pop-ups to strand two in the sixth, and then sandwiched her fourth strikeout on either side of ground outs to secure the victory.