Barton Softball piles up runs in home opener sweep

The Barton Community College softball team made short work of the junior varsity squad from Bethany College in a pair of five inning victories Tuesday.  The Cougars scored in the first three innings for a 10-2 first game win before batting around twice in the first three innings of the second game piling up a 20-3 victory to sweep the home opener at Cougar Field.  Six Cougars finished the day with multi hits including eleven extra base hits and three home runs in ten innings of action.  Beginning the season unblemished in its six tune-up games, Barton will get a much tougher this test this weekend as the Cougars head to Midland, Texas, for games Friday and Saturday in the Midland Tournament.  

Maddison Schofield got the Cougars going in the top of the first drawing a walk before beating out Kat Frakes' fielder's choice into second base.  Andreana Reynolds worked a one-out walk to load the bases with Payton Summers following it up driving the first of her eight runs batted in on the day with a single.

The Cougars would plate four in the home half of the second in a combination of solid hits and capitalizing on Swede pitching and fielding mistakes.  Following Payton Reynolds reaching base after getting hit by pitch to begin the second, Kaci Isaacson delivered the first of her two hits in the game with a double to right center.   The Cougars then capitalized on a passed ball and an error with A. Reynolds delivering the big blow in the inning driving in two on a triple to the right center gap.

A leadoff drive over the centerfield fence began the bottom of the third as Mickenzie Toler sent her third of the season over the fence.  Getting a walk by P. Reynolds, No. 9 batter Leilani Medina sent a rocket down the right field line driving in the second run before later scoring on Frakes misplaced pop-up to the infield.

P. Reynolds cruised through four innings of work with five strikeouts and two hits before handing the ball to Great Bend freshman Braylin Bretz for the fifth. Making her first collegiate appearance, Bretz struck out the first batter before inducing a ground ball to second.  Following a walk to extend the inning, the Swedes capitalized on a following infield error with two RBI singles to score their lone runs.

Barton went back to work in the home half of the fifth getting a P. Reynolds leadoff walk, Isaacson's second hit of the game, and a Medina walk to load the bases setting up Schofield's game clinching sac fly to center.

Schofield was back to the plate leading off the second game of the doubleheader lacing a double to key a thirteen plate appearance inning by the Cougars, later driving in three of her five runs in the game with a bases clearing triple.   Summers began her six RBI game with a double to drive in one while Jayden Gonzales put the caps on the nine run inning with a two-out two run single.

Amanda Evans got the game two start sending down the Swedes in order to begin the game but ran into trouble in the second with a leadoff walk scoring on a two-out single falling just out of the reach of right fielder Lydia Konrade.

Summers took the Cougars to ten runs in the home half of the inning greeting new pitcher Ashley Nava with a pitch blasted to left field.  Isaacson and Medina kept the inning alive flipping the lineup back to the top where Schofield delivered her fourth RBI with a single to left.

Frakes threw her hat in the center circle to begin the third but a leadoff double followed by a single and the Swedes' Lyndsay Sparacio stealing home on a four pitch walk to Alaina Lawing walk ended her stint without an out recorded.  Bretz made her second appearance of the day getting a ground out before a sac fly and pop up to the infield left the total Bethany damage to two runs cutting it to 11-3.

Braxton Morby made her collegiate debut behind the dish relieving A. Reynolds in the second, getting her first plate appearance in the third following Gonzales' leadoff walk.  Fighting off a 3-2 count, Morby sent a liner down the right field line for a stand-up double.  Four pitches later Summers launched her second of the day to the outfield trees and third of the season pushing the lead back out to ten.  

Schofield later arrived at the plate needing a home run for the cycle but instead delivered her fourth hit with a sharp single to right plating her fifth run batted in as another run crossed the dish following an outfield error.  Bretz draw a four pitch walk setting up Gonzales' third RBI of the game with a hard ground ball to left.  Barton would tack on another on a passed ball and following Morby's second hit in as many bats to load the bases, Summers put the cap on her six RBI game with a single to center for the Cougars' nineteenth run.  

The Swedes went down in order in the top of the fourth but should have had a hit if not for left fielder Jordan Terrones' spectacular catch.  Entering into the lineup in the second game for left fielder Medina, Terrones tracked the Swedes' Tori Woolums lined shot down the left field line making a full-out diving catch robbing Woolums of sure hit and possible extra bases.

Isaacson led off the bottom of the inning with a liner to center, later scoring on Bretz sac fly to right field putting the final touches on the scoring.   Bretz would send the Swedes down in order in the final fifth striking out the final batter to end the day earning her first collegiate victory in the circle. 

Summers led the output tying Isaacson for five hits in the doubleheader but led the team with eight RBIs behind her three extra base hits.  Schofield, who went 0-2 in the opener, delivered out of the leadoff in game two going 4-for-5 with five RBIs falling a home run shy of the cycle.