The Barton Community College softball team's run in the Region VI Tournament came to an end Sunday at Dodge City's Legend Park in day three of the automatic national qualifier tournament.
The Cougars went 3-2 with both losses coming to eventual champion Hutchinson Community College.
Seeded third, the highest since the 2017 season, Barton got off to a six inning 14-6 run-rule victory over host Dodge City before battling Hutchinson in the evening game. Being outscored heavily by the Blue Dragons in the regular season, the Cougars led twice until Hutchinson produced a tying run in the fourth and the go-ahead tally in the sixth for the 5-4 victory.
On Saturday the Cougars produced a memorable bottom of the seventh, a three-run erasing deficit to outlast Colby 5-4 in ten innings to stay alive in the consolation bracket. Meeting Dodge City again later that evening, Barton's five-run fifth inning proved the difference maker to eliminate the Conquistadors 7-3.
Meeting Hutchinson at high noon Sunday in the loser's bracket final, an early run put Barton in front but the Blue Dragons scored in each of the next four frame's to outflank the Cougars 9-5.
Barton's season came to an end at 29-20 under second year Head Coach Carson DuBose while Hutchinson went on to defeat 13th ranked Butler twice in capturing the title.
One of the nation's highest batting average teams, Barton batted .383 over the five games with four Cougars above the .400 mark led by Allyson McDougal's .524 average in 21 plate appearances. The freshman, who made a handful of clutch grabs and diving highlight catches from her right field position, had at least one hit in each contest finishing with 11 total and a team high 7 RBI.
Sophomores Leslie Ramos and Laci Dryden were a combined 17-of-35 (.485) out of the top two spots of the lineup. Dryden collected 9 hits and 3 walks out of the leadoff position with 5 stolen bases while Ramos' 8 hits and 2 walks followed in the order driving in two runs.
Freshman Aly Lawrence delivered eight hits in the three position for a .400 weekend.
Ramos, Elina Bartlett, and Mikaila Herring each had a pair of doubles.
Bartlett connected on the first of Barton's two home runs helping the Cougars close out Dodge City with Chloe Enslinger's 3-run home run for her team leading 11th of the year drew Barton to within 5-4 Sunday against Hutchinson.
The freshman trio of Bartlett, Brooklyn Angielski, and Alicia Goseland logged the 35 innings pitched. Angielski taking both losses to Hutchinson finishing the tournament 2-2 and 9-9 on the year with Goseland hurling 17.1 of the innings including 7.1 of relief against Colby allowing just one run in finishing 4-4 on the year.
Recap vs Dodge City
The host put three on the board in their first at-bat on a trio of singles and fielder's choice only to have the Cougars fire back with four in the home half. The Conquistadors tied it in the second before Barton pulled away with three in the fourth, five in fifth, and a clinching pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Barton pounded out 17 hits in the contest, Ramos 3-for-3 with Aly Lawrence, McDougal, and Bartlett collecting three hits each as Cameron Pelzel anchored the lower third of the lineup going 2-for-2.
Bartlett led the RBI production with 4 runs driven in with Lawrence and McDougal driving in three each.
Goseland picked up the victory scattering five of Dodge City's hits with four strikeouts, Bartlett hurling one inning.
Recap versus Hutchinson
Bartlett's hit by pitch and Mikaila Herring's double led off the second inning with Pelzel's RBI groundout breaking a 20-inning, 47-unanswered runs against the Blue Dragons. Laci Dryden 2-out base knock drove in another giving Barton a brief 2-run lead.
Hutchinson responded with two-outs in the home half by stringing a single and double together before another two-bag hit tied it back up.
Herring put the Cougars back in front in the top of the third, connecting on 1-out double plating McDougal and Enslinger hits to begin the frame.
The lead stood into the fourth as a leadoff double scored one batter later on a single.
Hutchinson produced the game winner in the bottom of the sixth with a pair of hits leading off the frame set the table and a 1-out single plated the go-ahead.
Angielski went the complete game in taking the loss allowing ten hits with the offense connecting on eight hits led by McDougal and Herring connecting on two hits each.
Recap versus Colby
The Cougars and Trojans would open the day in setting the tournament schedule back nearly an hour as the teams battled for ten innings before Ramos' sac fly plated the winning run.
Colby's Paige Pierce belted two home runs against Angielski, the first leading off the ball game with the second coming on a 2-run shot in the third giving the Trojans a 3-0 lead.
The Dryden twins sparked the Cougars in the fifth laying down infield bunts to begin the frame. Lawrence also duplicated the effort with one-out in reaching safely putting the pressure on the Colby defense creating a throwing error resulting in Barton getting on the scoreboard.
Colby pushed the gap back to three in the top of the seventh on a 1-out sac fly plated a leadoff single.
Laci Dryden and Ramos gave the Cougars hope by leading off the bottom of the seventh with hits and stolen bases as Ramos' theft of second created a throwing error allowing Dryden to scoot home.
McDougal copied the effort with a hit and stolen base setting up runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1-out.
Following Enslinger's sac fly cutting the deficit to one but also putting the Cougars down to their final out, Bartlett came through in the clutch with a drive to right field tying it up.
Goseland took over in the circle in the third, surrendering just the seventh inning plate crosser in keeping the Trojans off balance and off the scoreboard through 7.1 innings giving the ball back to Angielski for a scoreless tenth frame and the eventual victor.
Pinch hitter Mia Mascarenas came through with a 1-out walk, pushed around the bases following Lani Dryden's walk and Laci Dryden's single setting up Ramos' game winning sacrifice fly to left field.
Barton's fourteen hits were led by the 4-for-5 with a walk production out of Laci Dryden at the top of the lineup with Ramos and Lawrence following on the card with three hits each.
Recap versus Dodge City
Following the wait for two other games to take place, Barton took the field again versus Dodge City in looking for revenge having had the Conquistadors end the Cougars' season last year in the tournament.
Both teams plated one with two outs in the opening frame, the Conquistadors' leadoff double scoring on a two-out hit with Lawrence's walk extending Barton's at-bat with McDougal delivering the tying connection.
The back breaker came in the ensuing second as Barton put five runs on the board beginning with Bartlett's leadoff fence clearer for the freshman's 5th home run of the year.
More runs came across on Lani Dryden's RBI hit, Ramos' RBI walk, and Lawrence's fielder's choice before McDougal capped the scoring with a single to center.
The teams again exchanged two-out runs in the fourth, Barton producing theirs on another McDougal RBI driving in Laci Dryden's leadoff walk in what would be the Cougars final run of the game.
Angielski picked up the win in near split duty with Goseland as Dodge City was able to push across one additional run in the sixth on an RBI groundout.
McDougal's 3-for-3 and three RBI led Barton's ten hits with Bartlett going 2-of-3 with a run driven in.
Recap versus Hutchinson
Barton found new confidence against the Blue Dragons on Friday which seemed to carry over to Sunday's high-noon matchup by taking an early first inning lead on McDougal's two-out hit scoring Ramos' earlier base knock.
A single followed by a 2-run home run put the Blue Dragons on top in the second, following with three more in the next frame after a pair of leadoff hits would score on groundouts and a two-out double driving in the third run for a 5-1 lead.
In the ensuing fourth, momentum turned with one swing of the bat as Enslinger cut the deficit to one on her 11th home run of the year in plating Lawrence's leadoff double and McDougal's infield single.
Angielski nearly got the Cougars out unscathed in the home half of the inning, working around a leadoff walk and up in the count 1-2. Two pitches later taking the count to full, Bailey Backhaus kept the inning alive with a liner to left as two more Hutchinson hits ensued pushing the gap back out to 7-4.
Following a scoreless Barton fifth, the Blue Dragons again produced with two outs on four straight hits building an eight run lead.
Barton stranded a pair in the sixth, put two more aboard in the seventh on Lani Dryden's final hit as a Cougar and Ramos getting hit by pitch for the 16th time increasing her program record to 33 badge of honors. Lawrence followed with a one-out RBI but it would be the final run of the Cougars' season.
Angielski took the loss finishing the season at 9-9, surrendering just five hits and three earned runs.
Outhit by just three in the contest and five total in the two tournament games against Hutchinson, all but one Cougar had a hit in the finale with Lawrence and McDougal each closing out their freshman year with two hits each.