Barton Softball blasts its way for doubleheader victory at ranked Cowley #GoBarton

The Barton Community College softball team connected on seven home runs Tuesday in Arkansas City leading to a doubleheader sweep at Division 2, 23rd ranked Cowley College 15-3 in six innings followed by an 11-8 victory.

The Cougars belted five fence clearers in the opener, breaking away plating eleven runs in the final three frames, then jumped on the Tigers in the nightcap with a seven run first inning before holding off Cowley finishing the sweep.

Victors of ten straight, Barton improves to 13-5 on the year in dropping Cowley to 15-7. The Cougars return to conference play with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch at Pratt Community College before embarking on a three-date homestand next week beginning on Monday hosting Neosho County Community College.

Two of the Cougars' home runs came Peyton McCormick, picking up both in a 5-RBI game one performance. The first came during Barton's 2-out, four-run fourth inning as consecutive doubles from Allyson McDougal and Aly Lawrence were followed by back-to-back jacks from Chloe Enslinger's 7th of the year then McCormick pushing Barton's lead to 8-2. McCormick then helped the Cougars put the game out of reach in the 5-run sixth following another Lawrence double and Enslinger walk with a 3-run dinger notching the freshman's 5th of the season.

Barton racked up thirteen hits in the opener with the top five in the lineup, Laney Wood, McDougal, Lawrence, McCormick each collecting multiple hits as did Enslinger who was just named the KJCCC Player of the Week.

Anchoring the bottom of the lineup, Karter Alvord continues to give Barton a threat in the lower third by also collecting two hits including a fifth inning, 2-run home run pushing the Cougars lead out to a then 10-3 margin.

Elina Bartlett concluded Barton's game one long drives in the sixth, Mia Mascarenas drawing a walk following McCormick's 3-run shot to then trotting home on Bartlett's first home run of the sophomore's season.

Reigning two-time KJCCC Pitcher of the Week Meleia Ingram controlled most of the game scattering five hits and striking out seven.

Carrying the momentum into game two, Bartlett, McCormick, and Mascarenas picked up RBIs with Morgan Thatcher's two-out RBI double extending the frame. Making her first official at-bat on the collegiate diamond, Grace Hembree concluded the big seven-run start in sending a rocket over the left field fence for her first collegiate round-tripper and three runs crossing the dish.

Brooklynn Angielski would go the full seven innings in the circle but had to fight through a pair of Barton miscues in the first two innings cutting Barton's lead to just 7-6. Limiting the Tigers to just three hits in the remaining five frames, Angielski held firm, despite another sixth inning miscue helping the Tigers plate a pair of runs, to get the victory improving to 4-2 on the year.

Alvord's third inning 2-run home run for her second of the day and third of the freshman's season pushed Barton's margin back to three which held until Cowley's pair of sixth inning runs cut the margin back to 9-8.

Needing some insurance runs in Barton's final at-bat, McDougal led off the frame setting the table with McCormick delivering a big 2-out double with Mascarenas driving her home on a single up the middle for the final 3-run margin.

Lawrence's 3-of-4 official at-bats for a .750 average with two doubles led the Cougars with McCormick, McDougal, and Alvord accumulating four hits each. McCormick led in run production with 7 driven in with Alvord finishing with four RBIs.