Generous Cougars drop doubleheader to Dodge City

The Barton Community College softball team was very generous Monday afternoon at Cougar Field helping the Conquistadors of Dodge City Community College in capturing the conference sweep.  The Cougars committed nine official errors and stranded twenty-one runners in the twinbill as Dodge City ended the first game in five innings hammering fifteen hits in an 11-1 win before scoring four unearned seventh inning runs for a come-from-behind 7-5 victory.  The losses sent Barton to its fifth straight, dropping to 7-7 in conference play and 22-11 overall Dodge City Community College leapfrogs the Cougars in the standings to third place at 11-7 while winning their seventh straight game improving to 23-11 on the year.  Barton will hit the road for its next three playing dates, the first coming on Thursday as the Cougars head to Liberal for a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader against Seward County Community College. 

The Conquistadors scored in all but their final inning beginning with a four run first inning on four consecutive singles with Barton added to the bad start committing two errors as Dodge City batted around.

Another error in the second helped lead to three more runs as Dodge City would keep the pressure on the Barton defense adding two in both the third and fourth.

Barton had their chances to put runs on the home side of the scoreboard but stranded nine runners including a Cougar at second base in each of the innings.  Barton finally broke the shutout of Dodge City hurler Kim Herron, stringing consecutive singles to open the fifth with Andreana Reynolds delivering a one out single to center driving in Payton Summers.

Herron improved to 15-6 on the season with Amanda Evans slipping to 6-4 in splitting circle time with Kat Frakes.

Dodge City returned a few favors in the nightcap including a two-out error in the second allowing the Cougars to take an early lead before giving it right back in the top of the third knotting this back up at one.

Maddison Schofield led off the home half with a walk but was replaced by Summers on a fielder's choice before the Cougars dialed in on Jordyn McDaniel for back-to-back jacks for a three run lead.  Jayden Gonzales was the first sending a towering shot through the north wind over the left field fence for her eighth of the season being followed by fellow Shawnee Heights High School graduate Payton Reynolds' lined shot in the right center power ally for the freshman's fifth of the year.

The Conqs chipped away at the deficit getting an unearned run in the fourth before three straight two-out singles cut Barton's lead to 4-3.

Meanwhile, the Cougars were busy working towards their twelve stranded base runners in the game before getting a Schofield RBI single in the sixth for what appeared to be a big insurance run for the 5-3 lead to the seventh.

No. 9 hitter Baylee Rial picked a great time to get her lone hit of game two, leading off the inning with a solid line drive to center.  Leadoff batter Brittney Gonzalez then laid down a perfect bunt single before keeping the foot on the gas as third baseman Braxton Morby's throw shot into right field and the duo crossed the plate for the tying runs.  Reynolds regrouped in the circle to induce a lazy fly out before a routine grounder was misplayed in the infield for the Cougars' fifth error of the game. The Conqs took advantage following with a single and sac bunt before Brooklyn Botts' lone hit of the game blooped just over the infield down the left field line driving home the eventual winning runs.

Things looked promising for the Cougars to tie in the seventh receiving a break on an outfield error to begin the inning with Mackenzie Toler's double put the tying run on second with no outs.  

Game one winner Herron, who entered game two in the sixth, got a big strikeout before inducing a fly out.  Herron then walked Schofield but for the second straight inning the Cougars couldn't convert the bases loaded opportunity as a fly out to center would end it.

Herron's second win on the day improved the sophomore to 16-6 while Reynolds took the hard luck loss dropping to 10-6 on the season.