A trip to northwest Kansas helped provide some much needed taste of success for the Barton Community College softball team as the Cougars swept Saturday's doubleheader at Northwest Kansas Technical College.
Ending both games in five inning run rule fashion, a six-pack final frame clinched a 10-0 shutout to snap the Cougars' six game losing streak before putting runs on the board in all but one inning of the nightcap's 15-6 victory.
Coming off losses to three opponents on the national watch, No. 6 Butler, No. 5 Odessa, and receiving votes Hutchinson, Barton gets back to the feel good column of the total improving to 14-12 overall and 8-6 in conference play while sending NW Tech to its thirteenth straight loss falling to 2-12 in league and 2-22 overall.
Barton's short turnaround stretch continues on Monday in hosting Dodge City Community College at 1:00 p.m. followed by a Wednesday trip to Garden City Community College.
Game One Recap
Kayla Beers scattered five hits to improve to 5-6 on the year, helping her cause in the opening frame by fielding a liner and firing to Teegan Krol at first base to double up the Mavericks.
Krol helped provide the offense with two hits, driving in four including a second inning ground out scoring Jaysa Anderson's leadoff double.
The Cougars put up a trio of plate crossers in the third frame, Sydni Williams' bases loaded ground out pushing across Ireland Cotton's leadoff walk and Anderson's two-out hit driving in Lexi Dryden's reach via the badge of honor and Kayden Smith's reach on error.
Barton again loaded the bases with one-out in the final fifth inning, Williams' double being joined by Anderson's hit by pitch and Kennedee Lara's single as each would score on Krol's two-bagger. Krol moved to third on Adreanna Lance reaching on error then scored on Cotton's right side of the diamond ground out.
Jaycee Patton extended the inning lacing a 1-2 pitch through the diamond driving in Lance then rounded the bags for Barton's sixth run of the frame delivered by Smith's triple to right field.
Game Two Recap
Smith began her three-hit nightcap with a leadoff single, later scoring after Williams' hit and Anderson's ground out in putting the first run on the board. Lara followed connecting on the first pitch of her at-bat putting Barton out front 2-0.
Jessica Morgan silenced the Mavericks on just three hits, but a two-out hit by pitch and walk would score on the Cougars' lone error of the day in cutting Barton's early advantage in half.
Barton began to bury the Mavericks in the third inning, plating four in each of the next two frames before adding five in the fifth.
Smith, Halie Stoneking, and Williams singles began the third to load the bases with Anderson's single and Lara's sacrifice fly scoring the first two runs. Sammi Baldwin, who came in to replace Lance at catcher in the home half of the second, drew a walk to reload the bases setting up Jordan Magette's RBI walk and Cotton's run producing single.
Held without a hit in the opener, Stoneking picked up her second hit in as many innings by driving a 1-1 pitch out of the park for her 4th fence clearer of the year giving Smith's leadoff hit a jog around the bases. Following Anderson and Lara's single, Baldwin's two-out double driving in the pair pushed the lead out to 10-1.
NW Tech got one back in the home half on a leadoff triple scoring on a ground out. The Mavericks added two more hits, a double and single, to pick up their lone other hits on Morgan but the freshman hurler squelched the rally with a strikeout and fly out.
Cotton's leadoff single to begin the fifth was followed by a personal highlight as Julia Carey picked up her first collegiate hit in driving a 1-2 pitch into left field.
The pair seemed to be going nowhere as two quick outs ensued but Anderson, who joined Smith with a team high three hits in the game, extended the inning with a triple then scored on a wild pitch. Lara and Patton hits put two more on the bases with Baldwin closing out the scoring on her second consecutive double.
Elizabeth Horsch assumed center circle duties for the bottom of the fifth, getting the leadoff on a ground out but struggled to find the zone in surrendering three consecutive walks. The Mavericks delivered on the opportunity in clearing the bases on a double before tacking on another from a single forcing a pitching change back to Morgan.
After clipping a Maverick on an inside pitch, Morgan induced a pop-up to Cotton at short stop who threw to Carey to pick off a runner at third for the game ending double-play.
Barton finished with eighteen hits as seven had multi-hit outings led by the three each from Smith and Anderson. Anderson also tied for team high honors in runs batted in with four as Baldwin's 2-for-2 performance equaled the run producing output.
Morgan's 4.2 innings earned the victory improving to 7-5, adding seven more strikeouts to her season total in leading the region with 92 punch outs.