Barton softball sweeps season opener #GoBarton

The Barton Community College softball team kicked off the 2020 campaign Sunday with a home doubleheader sweep over Lamar Community College, taking the opener 12-2 in five innings before adding late insurance runs for a 4-1 win in the nightcap.

Barton will travel to Cisco, Texas, for five games beginning with three on Friday before concluding the Cisco College Tournament with a pair of contests on Saturday.

Following a pair of Kayli Dryden and Besty Parmley walks to begin the contest, Brooke McCollough opened the scoring driving home two of her five runs on the afternoon with a double to left center. One batter later, Lia Chan extended the first inning lead to three doubling to left knocking in McCollough.

The Cougars broke the contest open two innings later, putting nine on the board highlighted by Kaleigh Peak's line drive to right field scoring Chan and Demi Kunkel. McCollough drove home another pair following a bases loaded walk allowing Dryden to cross the plate, while sophomore Jade Phillips made a hustle play scoring all the way from second base catching the Lopes off guard. Kunkel delivered the final two runs of the inning doubling down the left field line adding onto the 12-0 lead.

Chan delivered the first RBI in the third drawing a bases loaded walk. Bailie Stanley and Dryden each drove in a run that saw fourteen Cougars come to the plate in the frame.

Karsyn Smith delivered a solid opener tossing four scoreless innings before allowing a pair of Lamar runs in the fifth including a solo shot from Katelynne Russell. The sophomore hurler allowed just two runs on three hits while punching out five in her five innings of work.

In game two the Cougars struck first once more as Betsy Parmley drove home Phillips' one out double.

The Lopes would strike back in the ensuing top of the second, plating their lone run of the game on Kristyna Arguello's two-out RBI double driving home Russell's leadoff two-bagger.

Seeing a seventeen game-hitting streak snapped in the opener, Phillips provided the game's go ahead run in the home half of the frame lacing a two out RBI single to left scoring Dryden.

Making her collegiate debut in the circle, Ashlee Lucero escaped trouble in the sixth when Phillips gunned down the potential tying run at the plate on a perfect one-hop to Kunkel at the plate for the lone double play of the game.

Kaylee Milligan recorded her first collegiate hit with a single to right to start the sixth, later crossing the plate for the first time following back-to-back sacrifice bunts by Dryden and Phillips as Parmley and McCollough tacked on insurance runs with RBI singles.

Following a one out double to Lamar's Alicia Fraire in the seventh, Smith took over duties in the circle to shut the door on any Lamar comeback in striking out the final two batters.

Lucero earned her first collegiate victory tossing 6-plus innings allowing one run on five hits, fanning three of her six in the second inning with two walks on the stat sheet.

McCollough led the day's RBI total, driving home five in the doubleheader with Parmley going 4-of-6 from the plate.