The Barton Community College softball team pounded out 41 hits in the minimum ten innings Wednesday at Lemon Park in a 17-3 and 21-0 conference sweep at Pratt Community College.
The third place Cougars improve to 14-8 in conference and 20-14 overall while dropping Pratt to 1-21 and 2-25 on the year. Barton will put its four game win streak to the test at 1:00 p.m. Saturday traveling to nationally receiving votes Hutchinson (17-3, 26-6) as the Blue Dragons are coming off a doubleheader split against 6th ranked Butler.
Barton scored in all but one inning during the day, collected eighteen extra base hits including ten home runs taking advantage of a windy Kansas day.
Highlights were up and down the roster, Teegan Krol belted three home runs on the day moving her team leading season total to ten, two in the nightcap capping an eight RBI twin bill. A pair of Cougars connected on their first collegiate home run in game two, both with shots leaving the park in centerfield. Leading the Cougars with six hits on the afternoon, Kennedee Lara led off the second inning driving a 1-0 pitch over the fence as Savannah Benson made the most of her first ever plate appearance in the third frame by driving a 1-2 two-out pitch over the barrier then followed with her second by depositing a 3-2 count pitch beyond the fence.
Sydni Williams joined Krol with five hits, two of them on doubles to bat .833 on the day. Each starter had a multi-hit performances including Kayden Smith going yard twice and driving in six. Benson led the bench production with the two hits and five runs batted in as Jaycee Patton and Anahi Garcia also picked up hits.
Kayla Beers pitched the first three innings of the opener, improving to 8-7, with Jessica Morgan spinning seven strikeouts in three innings of the nightcap improving to 8-5 on the season. Julia Carey finished out game one with two innings in the circle as Elizabeth Horsch concluded the final two frames of game two.
Sammi Baldwin and Adreanna Lance, who split catching duties between the pair of games, each finished 2-of-4 at the plate including a home run each, Baldwin with a second inning two-run blast to center as Lance went back-to-back with Krol in the third frame of the nightcap.