The Barton Community College softball team wrapped up the road portion of the 2019 schedule with a pair of convincing conference wins 10-5 and 12-2 over Independence Community College.
A day later than scheduled due to Mother Nature and location change to El Dorado's East Park, Barton plated eight runs in the final two frames to win the opener before carrying the momentum into the nightcap scoring six through the first two frames with a four spot in the final at-bat putting the sweep to bed.
Barton improves to 20-4 in the Jayhawk East and 30-13 overall while Independence drops to 8-14 and 12-19 on the year.
The Cougars wrap up the regular season Monday as Barton welcomes 14th ranked and conference leader Butler Community College to Cougar Field in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader before setting sights on the Region VI Tournament beginning May 3 in Dodge City.
Game One Recap
Independence touched starter Tia Kohl with a pair of first inning runs in scoring a leadoff walk with a ground out pushing across the second tally but Kohl got the last revenge in shutting down the Pirates the rest of her five innings in the circle, scattering just four additional hits while striking out seven improving to 15-5 on the year.
Barton scored the equalizers in the ensuing second with Lia Chan and Demi Kunkel setting the frame by drawing walks. No. 8 and 9 hole hitters Jade Phillips and Alexis Sharples, who each drove in three runs in the game, followed with RBIs in getting the game knotted up.
The Cougars put the game away late, scoring three in the sixth before tacking on five in the seventh.
Phillips drove in Chan's leadoff walk and scored later in the inning with Jaelyn Carter plating the second run of the sixth on a single.
Drawing her third walk of the game, Chan joined Hailey Pop's seventh inning leadoff free pass as the two would score on Kunkel's single and Phillips' third hit coming on a perfectly placed bunt single. Sharples, who along with Kohl swept the conference player of the week awards, drove a deep double to right center pushing home two runs in scoring on the next pitch as Carter laced a single up the middle.
Karsyn Smith closed out the final home half of the seventh with a Pirate leadoff single scoring along with two other runs as the Cougars got sloppy down the stretch committing two errors in the frame.
Barton produced thirteen hits in the victory with the top and bottom of the lineup combining for ten as Nasadiya Salazar's three out of the two-hole joined Phillips for game high honors.
Game Two Recap
Shuffling the lineup for game two, singles by Carter and Phillips began the nightcap with the first of Barton's three runs scoring on a misplay of Salazar's three-hole sac bunt. Betsy Parmley, who did not play in the opener, delivered the first of her three hits in driving home Phillips before scoring on Chan's double to right field.
Independence plated two in the home half, all coming with two outs, as Emma Horsch dug a little hole with a hit by pitch and walk before a double and infield error allowed the Pirates to cut the deficit to one.
Like Kohl in the opener, Horsch settled in the circle allowing just three more hits the rest of the way in striking out four with no additional free passes improving to 9-4 on the season.
The Cougars stayed hot in the second frame, putting three more on the board for Horsch getting one-out singles by Carter and Phillips before Salazar's hit drove the pair across the plate. Barton picked up the third run on a dropped two-out fly in pushing the lead to 6-2.
Solo runs were added fourth and fifth frames with Chan driving in Parmley's two-out double with Phillips' ground out scoring Jayden Solberg's leadoff single growing the lead to six.
With Horsch sending the Pirates down for three straight innings, the bats reawakened in the seventh in putting the game away with a four run frame.
Sharples' leadoff hit moved a base on Carter's fourth hit, a screaming liner nearly taking out the Independence hurler. Phillips then followed with a marathon at-bat, down 0-2 in count to foul off seven pitches before loading the bases after drawing a 13-pitch walk.
Brooke McCollough followed with a five pitch walk to push in a run with Parmley lacing the big hit of the inning with a two run producing single to center. Maggie Schuetz wore the badge of honor to reload the bases with Kaleigh Peak pushing across the final run in drawing the frames third walk.
Pounding out sixteen hits to close out the sweep, Carter led the team with four out of the leadoff position with Parmley anchoring the middle with a trio of hits and team high three runs batted in.