Cougars sweep softball doubleheader on sophomore day closing out home field for the season #GoBarton

The Barton Community College softball team closed out its home slate Sunday, sending its sophomores out with a pair of victories over the junior varsity squad of Bethany College 6-5 and 11-1 in five innings.

Barton improves to 15-23 overall, getting back to conference action on Thursday with a 2:00 p.m. first pitch at Pratt Community College.  The Cougars will then complete the regular season on Saturday with a trip to Independence Community College.

The Cougars honored its departing sophomores for the final time on the home turf in-between the pair of games.

Each of the six sophomores contributed to the Cougars' victories. Makayla Chavez connected on three doubles in her five hits, Mackenzie Fagan producing a big hit in game one's bottom of the 7^th, Ashlee Lucero striking out a season high twelve batters for the opening victory, Kaylee Milligan's clutch game one tying solo home run, Brooke McCollough driving in three runs including her 5^th home run of the season, and Bailie Stanley despite long at-bats in making a lot of contact but coming up empty playing solid defensively at third base.

Game One Recap
The Cougars needed a comeback to win game one, with Milligan's solo shot in the fourth tying it up a 5-all before a bases loaded wild pitch plated the winning run in home half of the seventh.

Barton opened up a three run lead in the second in part to two Swede errors, the first providing Chavez with an RBI opportunity driving in one on the first of her three doubles in the contest and eventually scoring on Bethany's second error.  Milligan capped the scoring with a RBI ground out.

The Swedes got a pair of solo home runs in the third, the first coming from Lilliana Martinez with one out and the second coming from Gabriela Rodriguez' two-out solo shot.

McCollough got one of the runs back on one-swing with one-out in the home half driving her 5^th of the year over the fence on a line drive to left center.

Despite winning pitcher Lucero striking out a season high twelve, the Swedes managed to grab three runs in the top of the fourth.  A one-out hit batsman followed by a walk look to be stranded but Tori Quintana laid into a 2-1 two-out pitch putting Bethany in front 5-4.

Milligan's 4^th home run of the year quickly tied the game in the bottom half of the inning.

As both teams struggled in the next 2.5 innings, Chavez gave Barton new life in the bottom of the seventh in lacing her third two-bagger into the left center gap with one out.  Fagan followed with her lone hit, then stole second putting runners in prime scoring position. A ground out to third kept the runners in place with Milligan up next in the box.  Working the count to 2-2, a wild pitch and alert running from Chavez sliding across the dish provided the game winner.

Game Two Recap
Perhaps playing tight in game one knowing sophomore recognition was due up between the two contest, the Cougars looked much more relaxed on the way to pounding out fourteen hits and making short work completing the sweep.

Madison Faylor's bases loaded RBI single gave the Cougars the early before Barton's second trip back to the offensive end produced six runs in blowing the contest open after two innings.

Chavez drove in the first of the frame with McCollough following with a two RBI double.  The Cougars then went back-to-back jacks with Teegan Krol plating two on her team leading 7^th dinger of the season and Adreanna Lance's no doubter one pitch later ringing up her 4^th of the year.

As Kayla Beers was keeping the Bethany offense quiet behind seven strikeouts to match a career high and scattering four hits, the Barton offense kept working at the plate.

Kennedee Lara's second hit in as many at-bats in the leadoff position, loaded the bases in the third following Milligan's reach on error and Lexi Dryden second walk of game two. Chavez's ground out pushed across the first of three runs in the frame with McCollough's sac fly to center plated the next and Krol's RBI single giving Barton a 10-0 advantage.

Following a throwing error allowing another run to cross in Barton's half of the fourth, the Swedes spoiled the shutout in the top of the fifth.

A one-out walk put a runner aboard but the Cougars squandered the opportunity to get the lead runner on the ensuing fielder's choice as a misfield put runners at the corner. Allison Rosa's single through the left side drove the run across preventing the final goose egg.  Beers halted any kind of further damage inducing a fielder's choice before ending the game on a caught looking strikeout.