Cougars win seventh straight in sweep of Pratt, draw into conference race with pivotal stretch ahead #GoBarton

The Barton Community College softball team continues to take care of business in its lighter stretch of the schedule, posting 17-0 and 13-1 five inning victories Wednesday at Cougar Field over Pratt Community College.

Three home runs including a pair of grand slams highlighted the opener's big run output with four more long balls being added in the second game were amongst the 30 total hits in the 29-run twin bill differential.

Winners of seven straight, Barton improves to 17-3 in conference play and 24-13 overall while Pratt drops to 2-20 in league and 3-35 on the year. The Cougars' victories, along with the doubleheader split between Butler and Hutchinson, leaves the trio tied at three in the loss column with the 16th ranked Grizzlies leading the pack at 19-3 with the 15th ranked Blue Dragons are tied with Barton for second.

Next on Barton's schedule is four pivotal dates to help shape the conference race, beginning Friday in a make-up date at 4th place Colby (12-6) followed by Wednesday's trip to Hutchinson. The Cougars then return home on Saturday, April 15, for "Sophomore Day" hosting Colby before traveling to Butler on Wednesday, April 19. After the gauntlet, Barton closes out the home season April 26 hosing Dodge City then wraps up the regular season April 29 at Northwest Kansas Technical College.

In addition to the multitude of hits and runs, Kayla Beers and KayLee Richardson stymied the Pratt bats, combining for 12 strikeouts and six hits in the circle's ten innings. Beers improved to 5-1 in scattering a pair of hits and recording 7 strikeouts with Richardson completing the sweep on a 4-hit, career high 5 strikeout performance improving to 2-1.

Leadoff batter Halie Stoneking was kept off the basepaths just once, a lined out to centerfield to begin the day before going 6-for-6 the rest of the doubleheader including a triple and pair of home runs in driving in six.

Sydni Williams led the RBI production with seven, driving in two on a sac fly and a groundout before making the most of her two hits with a game one grand slam and a game two solo home run.

Barton connected on 17 extra base hits out of their thirty total including nine doubles led by the trio from Jenna Henderson and two from Calli McConnell, moving the freshman's total to 17 and one away from the program's top ten single season list.

A pair of program impacts were made during the cool, windy day on the home turf, Leslie Ramos wearing the badge of honor for the 13th time of the year for the most in a single season while Jaysa Anderson extended her program record games with a hit to 30 straight.

Coming up hitless in her first three at-bats in game one including a called strikeout to end the third inning, Anderson benefitted from the Cougars' seven run fourth inning in sending twelve to the plate giving the sophomore another chance. Liking the second pitch of the at-bat, Anderson sent a screamer right back where it came from in ricocheting off the Pratt pitcher for a solid hit. In game two Anderson put the suspense to bed on the third pitch of her first at-bat in launching a straight away center blast through the wind for her 9th fence clearer of the year to drive three across the dish for a 4-0 early lead.

Game One Recap
The Cougars took advantage of a rough start for the Beavers, plating two in the opening frame on a walk and error to score on a wild pitch and Williams' sac fly.

Henderson picked up the first of her two doubles in the game to lead off the second inning, Ramos getting plunked to set the ongoing program record at 13, with Lani Dryden beginning her 2-for-3 game with a single to load up the bases as the trio would trot home one pitch later on Stoneking's 11th dinger of the season.

Laci Dryden continued the inning with the first her three hits in game one performance to score on McConnell's double.

Three more crossed the plate in the third, Lani Dryden's one-out hit scoring after Stoneking's single and a passed ball with twin Laci Dryden driving in Stoneking on her 7th two-bag hit of the year, to later score after McConnell's single and Williams' capping the frame with an RBI groundout.

Barton put the game on ice in the home half of their last at-bat, sending twelve to the plate with seven more added to the scoreboard.

Kayden Smith led off with her 2nd home run of the year, Henderson and Ramos followed with back-to-back doubles, and singles from Stoneking and Laci Dryden loading the bases. Pinch hitter Cameron Pelzel drew a walk to push in the third run of the inning with Williams' following with her 9th fence clearer of the season for the Cougars' second grand slam of the game to cap the scoring.

The big inning set up Anderson's final chance to keep the hit streak alive, connecting on the single up the middle for the Cougars' 17th hit of the opener.

Meanwhile in the circle, Beers was sending the Beavers down in order through the first three frames behind six strikeouts, getting through the first two outs of the fourth before Bryanna Gallagher broke up the perfect game with a two-out hit.

La'Cara Skelton picked up Pratt's second and final hit with one-out in the fifth but Beers kept the Beavers from reaching second base in the contest by striking out her seventh before inducing an infield fly to end the game.

Game Two Recap
The Beavers plated their lone run of the day in their first at-bat, a leadoff single and stolen base scoring on a one-out run producing hit.

Stoneking's leadoff triple in scoring on McConnell's hit quickly tied the contest, Williams reaching one batter later on a Pratt infield error with Anderson extending her hit streak to thirty on a straight-away centerfield blast for her 9th of the year.

Richardson struck out two in the first to overcome the Beavers' three hits in the frame, getting a line out to begin the second before helping her cause by erasing a one-out hit by fielding a shot up the middle in starting a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Striking out another in the third and two in the fourth for her new career high fifth punchout, Pratt would only reach the bags one more time in the game on a fifth inning one-out hit batsman.

Barton added one to its lead in the second, Stoneking scoring on McConnell's 17th double of the year, then added two more to the scoreboard in the third as Smith's leadoff walk plating on Lani Dryden's 6th double of the year before scoring on Stoneking's two-out RBI single.

Back-to-back jacks from roommates McConnell and Williams opened up the fourth inning for their 9th and 10th home runs of the year respectively put the Cougars over the run-rule, 8-run margin. Anderson followed with a roped single to right field in being followed by consecutive doubles from Smith and Henderson to tack on two more runs.

Down to their final out, Stoneking put a cap on her big afternoon with her second big fly of the day and her 12th of the season to move into 11th of the single season achievements.