Big innings send Barton Softball home early from Butler #GoBarton

A pair of run-rule defeats sent the Barton Community College softball team back from El Dorado in early fashion as the No. 11 ranked Grizzlies of Butler Community College dominated Saturday's action with a 15-0 and 11-3 sweep. The Cougars drop to 7-7 in Jayhawk play and 10-16 overall Butler's sixteenth straight win increased its regular season conference unbeaten streak to 59 games in improving to 12-0 and 25-3 overall. Barton will return home on Wednesday for a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader hosting Pratt Community College (1-15, 10-32).

Two big innings were all Butler needed in the opener including seven runs in the first and eight coming in the third. Consecutive one-out walks and single were sent home on an Alex Reed grand slam as the Grizzlies then connected on three straight RBI infield singles to pounce on Emma Horsch and Cougars.

Butler tacked on eight runs on five hits in the third inning, including a three run home run, to put away the Cougars in a twelve hit five inning attack while limiting the Barton bats to just two hits.

Game two didn't start out much better for game two hurler Allison Panning as Butler would put up four runs in the first inning before adding two in the third for a 6-0 lead.

Horsch led off the fourth with her fourth home run of the season but the Grizzlies got the run back in the home half with a solo fence clearer as well.

For the second straight inning Barton put runs on the board as the fifth began with three consecutive walks from Hailey Pop, Morgan Michaelis, and Andreana Reynolds but a double play ball put the damper on the potential big inning. With a run scoring on the play, the Cougars would add just one more run coming on Butler's fourth error of the contest.

The Grizzlies put the game away in the home half as a walk, error, and fly out plated one while a two-out walk and consecutive singles ended the contest with the eight run margin.

Horsch dropped to 5-8 after the game one loss with Panning taking game two's defeat in dropping to 5-7.

Kat Frakes was the lone Cougar to collect two or more hits in the doubleheader, leading off the fourth inning of game one with a single before connecting on a right field single with one out in the first inning of the night cap.