The Barton Community College softball team split its Saturday home conference opener versus Independence Community College as the Cougars took the first game in five innings 12-2 before falling late in a 8-4 loss.
The Cougars' conference mark goes to 3-1 on the split and 10-7 overall while Independence leaves Cougar Field 1-3 in league play and 2-10 overall.
Barton's next games come on the road for a pair of doubleheaders before returning for a three-date home stand. This week the Cougars travel to Hutchinson on Wednesday with a Saturday trip to Pratt, first pitch slated for 2:00 p.m. for each doubleheader. Barton's home stand begins with games on Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22, hosting Colby and Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa, before hosting Butler on Wednesday, March 25.
Game One Recap
Karsyn Smith twirled another gem in the sophomore's campaign, limiting the Pirate bats to just one hit, a two-out third inning single while striking out six and walking one. Getting a fifteen hit attack from the offense, Smith improved to 7-3 following the five inning complete game.
After stranding the bases full in the first inning, Barton strung five consecutive hits together in the second. Kaleigh Peak produced the first run on a deep double to centerfield scoring Kaylee Milligan with Betsy Parmley's single capping the streak with the first of her team leading three hits.
As the Cougars lead 4-2 into the fourth, the big blow came in the frame behind the two-run blast to left field from Bailie Stanley. Banging the fence with an RBI double in the second, Stanley yanked a 2-1 pitch to left field for her first collegiate dinger helping the Cougars increase their lead to 7-4.
Lia Chan led the RBI production, driving in runs in the second and fourth innings before capping her team high five plate crossers in a walk-off three-run towering drive to centerfield for her first of the season.
Game Two Recap
Barton staked Ashlee Lucero out to a 2-0 lead after the first three innings, putting the first runs on the board in the second following one-out Demi Kunkel double followed by a Milligan single with Brooke McCollough providing the third inning run on an RBI single.
Lucero cruised through the first time of the Pirate order, sending Independence down in order each of the frames. The Pirates started to tag the freshman righty in the fourth, stringing four consecutive hits to open the frame including a three-run Kianna Turner collegiate first home run.
Closing out the fourth with consecutive strikeouts, a pair of hits pushing Independence's lead to 4-2, end Lucero's afternoon in the fifth as Cheyenne Henry got the final two outs.
Barton immediately responded in the home half as the top of the lineup with Kayli Dryden's one-out single being followed by a Parmley RBI single and Chan's run producing double.
A four-run top of the sixth ensued as Independence had five hits in the inning, three coming with one-out as a wild pitch pushed across the first run with a 2-2 pitch double scoring two more before an infield hit plated the final run. Smith re-entered the circle getting the final two outs then shut down Independence in the seventh keeping Barton in the game but the Cougars would manage just a Parmley two-out single in the final two frames.
Parmley led Barton's ten hits with a trio of connections completing her 6-of-8 afternoon with Chan and Milligan collecting two hits each.
Henry took the loss dropping to 0-1 on the year.