Barton Softball snaps skid with victory at Seward County; Nine run game two lead suspended due to weather

Barton Softball snaps skid with victory at Seward County, 9-0 game two lead suspended due to weatherThe Barton Community College softball team need a win in the worst way in trying to snap an uncharacteristic five game slide and through six innings Thursday in Liberal, the Cougars and Seward County Community College were in a scoreless deadlock.  Having been held to just three hits through the first six, the Cougars doubled up their production in the first three at-bats leading to a three run inning before holding off the Saints' home half rally in getting back to the win column with the 3-2 victory.  

Rolling into the nightcap the Cougars then put together two four-run innings before storms in the area forced the cancellation with Barton's 9-0 lead into the bottom of the third.  

The much needed lone victory on the day pushed the Cougars back over the .500 mark in conference play at 8-7 and 23-11 on the year while Seward County dropped to 11-4 in the Jayhawk and 36-14 overall.  Barton's next action will come Saturday as the Cougars travel to Garden City Community College in a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader.

Going down on eight strikeouts against the Saints' Monique Ashley in the team's earlier meeting back in Great Bend, the Cougars only stuck out twice on Thursday but could manage just three hits before doubling up their production in the seventh.  Payton Summers and Mickenzie Toler began the inning with singles before Kaci Isaacson followed in the lineup driving the go-ahead runs across the plate with a double to left field.  Two outs later Maddison Schofield tripled to right center in what would be the eventual game winning RBI.

The Cougars' defense was for the most part solid behind starting hurler Amanda Evans, coming through with defensive gems in the third inning as Seward County had runners at second and third with no outs.  Isaacson was the first of the gems with a diving catch on a liner up the middle with the Cougars rolling up a double play to end the inning as Andreana Reynolds throughout the next batter on a dropped third strike before Jayden Gonzales returned fire to the plate as Reynolds applied the tag at the plate keeping the scoreboard clean.

As the Cougars got to Ashley in the seventh, the Saints also got the Barton defense and Evans to begin the seventh.  An infield error began the inning with a consecutive one-out doubles producing two runs to end the day for Evans.  Bringing in Payton Reynolds to protect the lead, the Topeka freshman induced a comebacker to the circle before another infield grounder to strand the tying run and second in protecting the Barton victory for her first collegiate save.

Evans 6.1 innings with the one earned run improved the sophomore to 7-4 on the season while handing Ashley to just her third loss on the season slipping to 20-3.  

Game two, which will only be resumed should the outcome affect the final standings, ended at the start of the home half of the third inning with Barton on the top side of a 9-0 score.  The Cougars put four on the board in both the first and third inning with a solo run coming in the second inning.  
Barton jumped on the Saints in the first inning with a P. Reynolds single and Gonzales reaching on a fielder's choice setting up A. Reynolds triple to right field.  Summers followed with an RBI double and with two outs, Isaacson singled to right driving home Summers before getting tagged out trying to grab a double.

Lydia Konrade led off the second with a double but was thrown out at the plate after Schofield's double to left.  P. Reynolds' two-out single would then drive in the lone run of the third.

The left handed Konrade would go back to the right field third of the diamond, lighting up the scoreboard in the third with a drive over the right field fence for her second of the year in plating the three runs.  Jordan Terrones then drew a full-count walk before Schofield connected on her second double of the game pushing the Barton lead to 9-0.

P. Reynolds was in the center circle for game two, allowing a two-out hit in each of the two innings while striking out three.