Barton softball sweeps conference opener at NW Tech #GoBarton

The Barton Community College softball team pounded out thirty-one hits in its conference opener Wednesday in Goodland to sweep Northwest Kansas Technical College 16-2 and 14-6.

The Cougars improve to 9-6 on the season while Northwest Tech falls to 1-12 overall.

Barton's next games are Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader hosting Independence Community College at Cougar Field before hitting the road for its next two contests.

Betsy Parmley and Kayli Dryden led the hit parade tallying six hits each including driving in a combined ten runs batted in. Karsyn Smith and Ashlee Lucero picked up the wins in the center circle scattering seven hits in the ten total innings and a combined twenty-one strikeouts.

Game One Recap
As potent as the Cougar offense was in pounding out nineteen hits, Smith was just as lethal in the circle surrendering just two hits in the home fifth before allowing a pair of unearned runs. Smith finished with eight strikeouts in the five innings, walking none improving to 6-3 on the year.

The Cougar bats gave Smith the only runs needed putting a first inning four spot on the board getting RBIs from Makayla Chavez's double, Parmley's triple, and Kaleigh Peak's single.

Parmley knocked in her second run of the contest just three batters into the second driving home K. Dryden's leadoff single. Brooke McCollough followed up Parmley's single with one of her game high three RBI's before Parmley crossed on the Maverick's second error of the inning.

The final big blow of the opener came in the third as the Cougars plated nine runs on two-outs, sending thirteen batters to the plate in the frame.

Smith's perfect game bid fell short in the final fifth inning as Northwest Tech pushed across a pair of unearned runs coming off of two hits and a pair of Cougar errors.

Game Two Recap
The Cougars cooled down to twelve hits in the back end of the doubleheader, spreading the wealth again through all but two of the starters.

K. Dryden led the RBI production with four, driving in three on a bases loaded first inning triple. The run production continued in the opening frame as Lexi Dryden, Peak, Lia Chan, and Parmley each recorded RBI's in the eight run inning.

Following a pair of Maverick runs in the bottom of the first, the Cougars broke the contest open with a six run frame behind five hits and taking advantage of two Northwest Tech errors.

Lucero kept the Mavericks in check throughout the contest from the center circle, improving to 3-3 on the year allowing six runs, three earned on five hits, walking a pair and striking out a career high thirteen batters.