Barton Softball launches eight home runs in mercy rule victories #GoBarton

Coming of a pair of run-rule defeats, the Barton Community College softball team dealt out a pair of shortened game themselves Wednesday at Cougar Field with 11-3 and 17-2 victories over Pratt Community College. Launching four home runs in the opener including a three-run walk-off dinger for the eight run six inning victory, the Cougars sent four more over the fence in the nightcap including two in the first inning to end the game in five for their largest margin of victory in the season. The pair of wins improve the Cougars to 9-7 in Jayhawk play and 12-16 overall while Pratt drops it sixth straight in falling to 1-17 in conference and 10-34 overall. Barton's next field time will come Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Dodge City Community College (4-10, 11-21).

Pratt took the early lead, getting a second inning Lyndsey Loomis solo shot to right field for the Bishop Carroll's third home run of the season.

Managing just an Alexis Sharples' leadoff single through the first eight batters in the lineup, nine hole hitter Kristin Storer collected the first of six Cougar hits in the inning. Kat Frakes then put the Cougars ahead for good in blasting a two out pitch over the centerfield fence for the Topeka sophomore's second long ball of the year. Hailey Pop and Morgan Michaelis kept the two out line moving with a single and double respectively before both coming home on Andreana Reynolds' team leading 32nd RBI of the year.

Helping her cause improving to 6-8 on the season, Emma Horsch capped off the six run third inning with a two-run long fly landing in the near exact spot as Frakes' to tie the team lead with five home runs on the season.

Pratt put solo runs on the board in two of the three remaining frames, scoring an unearned run in the fourth before a two out hit by Larned's Tymarra Bryant scored Marisa Jonas' leadoff double.

Stranding runners in the fourth and fifth innings, Jaila Jordan restarted the offense in the sixth with a leadoff single. Following a fielder's choice out, Storer delivered her second hit of the game with a laser show line drive to left field for the California sophomore's second long ball the season.

Having put six runs on the board with two outs in the third, the Cougars again kept the line moving down to their final out with Frakes and Pop lacing singles before Michaelis closed out the eight run rule with a three run walk-off towering shot to left center for the Lyons sophomore's fourth home run of the season.

The Cougars wasted little time in game two lighting up the scoreboard sending twelve to the plate behind eight hits and producing nine runs.

Sharples began the big inning with a solo jack for the freshman's fourth of the season being followed by the first of fellow Topeka native's Frakes' four hits of the nightcap. Michaelis single and Reynolds' RBI single pushed the lead to three with Horsch following with a walk to load the bases as Maggie Schuetz' second home run of the year would come in grand style in quickly exploding the lead to six.

The Cougars still weren't done in rocking Pratt hurler Kelie Byers as Nasadiya Salazar sent a zinger of a line drive down the right field line for the Kansas City freshman's first collegiate triple as Storer plated her home with her third double of the season.

Going back to the top of the lineup, Frakes connected for her second of the day sending a lined shot over the fence in right center concluding the nine run outburst.

Barton would go long ball again in the second with the damage being produced with two outs as Schuetz again exceeded the blue clad fence building the lead out to 11-0.

The margin grew by two in the third as consecutive singles by Frakes and Pop set the stage with Sophia Nduwayo driving in the Canadian freshman's first collegiate RBI with a single to left field as Reynolds closed out the inning with another RBI to left.

Pratt managed to put two runs on the board against Allison Panning, both coming in the fourth on Loomis' double driving in her third RBI of the day.

Storer's single in the home half again kick started another Barton big inning with Sharples following with her seventh double of the year. Frakes closed out her 4-for-4 game with her sixth hit of the day driving in two more runs to finish with six in the doubleheader. Pop kept the train rolling with her sixth two-bagger of the season with Nduwayo's second collegiate RBI crossing the plate on a hit behind the runner grounder to first base. Reynolds then delivered her third run driving single in finishing off the seventeen run game.

Panning stranded a one-out single before getting the final two outs to pick up the victory improving to 6-7. Along with Horsch scattering six hits in the opener, the Ellinwood freshman scattered five in the nightcap with the duo striking out a combined nine hitters against just one walk.