All phases of the game were in sync Saturday at Cougar Field as the Barton Community College softball team took care of Seward County Community College in a doubleheader conference sweep.
Anchored by a combined nineteen strikeouts between hurlers Kayla Beers and Jessica Morgan, the Cougars were defensively solid while offensively connecting on twelve extra base hits including eight homeruns to take the opener 10-0 in six innings before capping the twin bill with a 9-2 victory.
Barton improves 12-8 and 18-14 overall earning Head Coach Tyler Gunelson's 100th win in his fifth season. Seward County drops to 8-6 in league as their sixth straight loss drops the Saints to 17-13 overall.
The Cougars have a pair of road conference doubleheaders next on the schedule beginning with Wednesday's 3:00 p.m. first pitch at Pratt Community College before heading to 19th ranked Hutchinson Community College on Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. start. The Cougars then have a mid-week trip to Colby Community College leaving Barton's next home game slated for Wednesday, April 20th, against 6th ranked Butler Community College.
Game One Recap
Half of Barton's eight hits of the opener were of the extra base variety, getting on the board in the second frame on Teegan Krol's first of two home runs on the day with a two-run blast to center.
Lexi Dryden led off the third inning in scoring on the next pitch from Kayden Smith's double as Halie Stoneking followed in the lineup with another two-base hit. Sydni Williams put Barton's fifth run on the board with a groundout to score Stoneking.
Dryden and Smith each had two hits in the opener, Dryden going big fly leading off the fifth for her third of the season. Smith picked up her second hit immediately following as the Cougars would eventually strand the bases loaded after a reach on error and walk.
Loading the bases again in the sixth with two outs, getting help from the Saints on two hit batsmen and a walk, Williams made sure the Cougars capitalized on the opportunity driving a 3-2 pitch well past the left field fence for the walk-off grand slam.
Beers scattered just four hits from the circle, allowing just two Saints to reach second base, in striking out a career high nine batters improving to 7-7 on the year.
Game Two Recap
The top three of the lineup each had multi-hit games, Stoneking beginning hers with a solo shot to center as the second batter of the nightcap.
Stoneking accounted for another in the third frame, reaching on a fielder's choice then swiping her team leading seventh stolen base before scoring on Williams' single.
Barton broke it open in the fourth, Krol connecting on her 7th home run of the year in being followed next in the order by Adreanna Lance's 5th of the season. Ireland Cotton, Dryden, and Smith singles gave the Cougars five straight hits, Cotton scoring on a Saints throwing error with Dryden crossing the plate on Stoneking's ground out.
Held to just one hit through five innings, Seward County picked up three hits in the sixth despite Morgan fanning all three outs in the frame as a one-out single and walk would score on a two-out hit to right field.
Stranding a pair of Cougars in what would have been the run-rule victory in the fifth, Barton answered the Saints' pair of runs from the top half going back-to-back jacks for the second time of the game. Stoneking's shot to centerfield for her third of the day tied Krol for the team lead of seven as Williams' connected on her second dinger for number six on the season. Jaysa Anderson's single was erased on Kennedee Lara's fielder's choice but Krol gave Barton its second straight frame of game clinching runners on the bags with a lined double to left center.
Lance, who sat out game one as Sammi Baldwin made her first collegiate start behind the dish, double in the second inning to start her 3-for-3 return and capped it with an RBI single to center. Lara easily scored on the play but Lance's liner had too much power behind it as pinch runner Jordan Magette burned up the base paths but was thrown out by the slimmest of margins at the plate thwarting the run-rule victory.
Following an infield pop-up, Dryden completed one of many defensive gems by the Cougars on the day, fielding a liner off the fence and throwing a missile to second erasing the would-be double.
Morgan improved to 10-5 on the year, closing out the contest with her 10th strikeout marking the fifth time of the season having ten or more punch outs.