Bounced to the consolation side of the bracket after Saturday's close defeat to top seeded Butler, the Barton Community College softball team took care of the host Conquistadors of Dodge City Community College in five innings Sunday morning 9-1 to earn a rematch with the Grizzlies for the Region VI at Dodge City's Legend Park.
Barton will take a 33-16 record into the noon Championship bout with 38-6 and 12th ranked Butler while Dodge City has its season end at 24-17.
Being the lower seed of the tournament at No. 5, the Cougars jumped all over the 4th seeded Conquistadors in the tune of a five run spot as the first six batters reached base with three crossing the dish before an out was recorded.
A Jaelyn Carter walk and Jade Phillips single began the contest with Hailey Pop driving in the first of her team high three runs batted in with a single up the middle.
Two Conq errors helped lead to the second run with Demi Kunkel's drive to right field pushing in the third run. Following a fielder's choice force out at the plate, Jayden Solberg mad the most of her lone hit of three at-bats by driving a shot to left in plating two more capping the five run frame.
Emma Horsch sent Dodge City down in order in the home half as the Cougars were immediately striking again as Phillips' leadoff double trotted home two pitches later on Pop's long fly out to right center for the fifth of the sophomore's season.
Horsch ran into a self-induced threat during the second Conq at-bat frame with a pair of two-out walks. Having made a great sliding catch to snare a liner to begin the inning, right fielder Kunkel also grabbed the rally killer on a running catch towards the gap.
Alexis Sharples and Carter got the offense restarted in the third frame with a walk and single respectively, with Pop joining the base crew drawing a full-count one-out walk. Brooke McCollough's fielder's choice pushed home Sharples with Betsy Parmley's drive into right field concluding the scoring.
Horsch won her third straight of her sophomore campaign improving to 12-5 on the year scattering four hits and striking out five.
