The Barton Community College softball team won its opening round game of the Region VI Tournament Friday 8-0 in six innings over Garden City Community College at Dodge City's Legends Park.
The Cougars scored in four of their at-bat frames, putting two on the board in the second and fourth inning, nearly ending the game in the bottom of the 5th before getting a bases loaded walk-off hit in closing it out.
Seeded 4th in the tournament, Barton improves to 30-20 on the year advancing to Saturday's 12:00 p.m. Field 4 winner's bracket semifinal against top seeded 14th ranked Hutchinson Community College (42-6). The Blue Dragons took care of 8th seeded Pratt Community College in the earlier contest 15-4 in six innings. Garden City and Pratt will meet in the Saturday 10:00 a.m. elimination contest.
The victor of the Barton-Hutchinson matchup moves on to the winner's bracket 4:00 p.m. final against the winner of 2nd seeded Butler Community College versus 3rd seeded Colby Community College's 12:00 p.m. Field 2 contest.
Region VI Tournament Information
Jenna Henderson earned the complete game circle victory improving to 7-10 in matching her career high 8 strikeouts while walking just one and scattering three hits.
Despite getting an 0-11 production out of the top three of the line-up, Barton finished with 12 hits led by the 3-of-4 performance from Jaysa Anderson out of the No. 4 spot of the lineup. Calli McConnell, Kayden Smith, Henderson, and Leslie Ramos followed consecutively with two hits each with No. 9 batter Lani Dryden going 1-of-2 with two runs batted in.
Anderson's 17th double of the year began the Cougar 2nd inning, scoring an out later on Smith's RBI hit. Following Henderson getting plunked for 9th time of the year, moving up to 5th most in program single season badge of honors, Lani Dryden single gave Barton another run for a 2-0 lead.
Smith and Henderson each delivered one-out hits in the fourth, Ramos driving in one on her 8th double of the year as Lani Dryden's sacrifice fly pushed the lead out to 4-0.
Into the fifth frame, Sydni Williams reached on a one-out Garden City error with Anderson getting on board with a single to the outfield. McConnell drove in Williams as Smith's ground out plated Anderson. Henderson then helped her cause on her 13th double of the year, moving to third on Ramos' hit but the Cougars left them stranded on the verge of the run-rule.
Barton again began to roll on one-out in the ensuing sixth, Laci Dryden drawing a walk, Williams reaching on an error, with Anderson loading the bags on her third hit. Next in line, McConnell closed out her two RBI performance and the game, advancing the Cougars to the next round on a drive to center for the walk-off.
