The Barton Community College softball team dropped its doubleheader Thursday in El Dorado as 3rd ranked Butler won each contest in run shortened five innings 9-1 and 11-3.
The losses drop the East's third place Cougars to 9-13 in conference play and 13-23 overall while Butler remains unblemished at 20-0 and 25-2 on the season behind their 31st straight victory.
Barton had its final home contest on Saturday cancelled, however have filled the slot with a 1:00 p.m. Sunday doubleheader hosting the junior varsity squad from Bethany College. Sophomores of the squad will be recognized in-between the pair of games. Admission and live streaming are free to the public with the video found at www.BartonSports.com.
Game 1 Recap
Butler put one on the board in the first inning on a two-out single but crossed a back-breaking five runs across the dish in the second. A one-out homerun put the first run across but four more would cross the plate with two outs resulting from a pair of Ashlee Lucero walks, double steal, and two-run fence clearer.
The Grizzlies added a pair in the fourth on one-out, a homerun followed by a single and run producing double.
Reigning conference pitcher of the week Maddie Redman shut down Barton through the first four innings, striking out seven while walking just one.
Turning the circle over to Brooke McCorkle for the fifth, a two-out Haile Stoneking hustle down the line to beat a hit up middle broke up the no hitter. Barton was able to load the bases twice after that but could only get Stoneking across the dish on a wild pick-off throw into first base.
Game 2 Recap
Butler again jumped ahead early as a leadoff walk and double would score on a sac fly and single.
Kayla Beers escaped further damage striking out the final two batters of the home half before stranding a leadoff single in the second in part to her third strikeout in two innings.
The Cougars cut the deficit in half in the third as Kayli Dryden's one-out double scored on Brooke McCollough's second hit of the nightcap.
Five runs lit up the home team's spot on the scoreboard in the bottom of the frame, two coming on a home run with a single clearing a bases loaded situation.
Two of the Cougars' four errors in the game help aid the Grizzly four-run fourth inning with a single plating the first error, an error pushing across the second run, and two-out single driving in two more.
Makayla Chavez and Lexi Dryden picked up their lone hits of the afternoon in leading off the fifth, scoring later on a K. Dryden fielder's choice and Adreanna Lance's RBI single but the Cougars left the bases loaded as the rally fell short.
After limited to just the one hit in opener, McCollough's two hits led Barton's seven hits.
Lucero and Beers took the losses as Butler connected on 21 hits while taking advantage of the five fielding errors and five walks.