Barton Softball tees off for fifty-five hits in sweep over Fort Hays Tech Northwest #GoBarton

Fourteen home runs out of fifty-five hits provided a record breaking Thursday at Cougar Field as the Barton Community College softball team won 43-1 and 26-3 hosting Fort Hays Tech Northwest.

The Cougars, who are receiving votes in the latest Division I poll, improve to 12-0 in conference play and 18-6 overall while Fort Hays Tech slides to 0-11 in league and 0-18 on the season.

Barton concludes its three-date homestand at 1:00 p.m. Saturday in welcoming 15th ranked Butler Community College to kick-off two key conference title race twinbills, the next coming on Wednesday at Hutchinson Community College who is also receiving votes in the national poll.

Amongst many records set on the afternoon, the Cougars' output in each contest both exceeded the previous 25 most runs scored in last year's victory against Garden City.

Starting pitchers Meleia Ingram and Brooklynn Angielski each worked two innings, Ingram striking out five improving to 9-3 with Angielski fanning four improving to 8-2.

Offensively in the long ball category, freshman Karter Alvord led with 4 dingers and 12 RBI, connecting on three long balls for 9 RBI in the opener.

Chloe Enslinger also connected on a trio of first game home runs, belting two in the Cougars' 14-run first frame before hitting her third straight coming in her first at-bat of the ensuing 24-run second inning.

A trio of Cougars connected on two home runs each, Peyton McCormick drilling both as part of her 5-of-5 6 RBI game one, Aly Lawrence going consecutive yards in the second inning of the opener, and Mia Mascarenas hitting her first as one of seven Barton second inning dingers then belted her second home run in grand slam style leading a 15-run third inning of game two.

Allyson McDougal, who finished 7-of-7 in the doubleheader, was the lone other to clear the fence by doing so in the big second inning of the opener.

In addition to the long balls, Barton also had some collegiate first occur in the twinbill.

Payeton Dilday picked up four collegiate firsts on the day, three coming in game one picking up her first hit in the second inning, recorded her first put out in the top of the third, then in the home half drew her first walk. In game two, the freshman connected on another hit to drive in her first RBI during the Cougars' 15-run third frame.

Ava Fink's reach on fielder's choice in the second frame of game one pushed in her first RBI, following her 1-of-3 opener going 3-of-3 with two more RBI and closing out her at-bats with a collegiate first double leading off the fourth inning.

Grace Hembree's lone official at-bat in the opener was of the two-bag variety as her first collegiate double plated two in the bottom of the third after pushing across a bases loaded run wearing a pitch as part of her 3 RBI game, driving in another pair of runs in the nightcap.

Aubrey Pate closed out the final three frames in the circle of the opener, Alicia Goseland worked a pair of innings of game two with McCormick closing out the final inning.

Fort Hays Tech's lone runs came on Harley Karlik's RBI hit in game one with Joclyn Loera's first collegiate home run coming in the third frame of game two driving in the other three runs.