Barton Softball fights through adversity in sweeping Colby #GoBarton

Whether it was injuries or trailing late, the Barton Community College softball team battled through to earn a sweep Wednesday afternoon 8-5 and 10-7 hosting Colby Community College.

Beginning the day already down two starters, the Cougars scored in five of their six at-bats of the opener but had to shift the lineup again for game two due to another starter going down before needing a sixth inning comeback to secure its 7th straight win over the Trojans in the series.

The Cougars improve to 17-3 in league and 23-9 overall in sliding Colby to 4-14 in league and 23-18 on the season.

Due to impending weather, Barton's next contest hosting Garden City Community College has shifted back a day to Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.

Elina Bartlett led the Cougars' 20 hits on the afternoon going 5-of-8, three coming in the opener including a third inning RBI double then belting a third inning grand slam highlighting Barton's 6-run frame of the nightcap.

Allyson McDougal played just the opener due to getting banged up on a seventh inning diving attempt in centerfield, going 2-for-4 including giving Barton the lead for good with a first inning 2-run shot out to left field for the sophomore's 3rd dinger of the year.

Barton tacked on a solo run in the third on Bartlett's double pushing home McDougal's 10th two-bagger of the year before another lone run crossed in the fourth on Aly Lawrence's 9th double driving home Ava Fink's one-out single.

After the Trojans produced a tally in the fifth, the Cougars answered with two in the home half with Bartlett leading off the inning with the lone hit as Colby committed three errors in the frame.

Two additional runs popped on the visitors' spot of the scoreboard in the sixth behind a pair of hits, walk, and RBI producing sac bunt.

Barton answered the call in the bottom of the frame on a pair of hits, Chloe Enslinger's leadoff walk eventually scoring on a wild pitch with Peyton McCormick's one-out double crossing the plate on Grace Hembree's liner up the middle.

Meleia Ingram improved to 12-4 on the season with the victory but was lifted for Alicia Goseland following a leadoff double just out of reach from McDougal full laid-out diving attempt. The Trojans followed with an RBI single, but Goseland kept the scoreboard clean for the final three outs stranding two including a two-out hit.

Already missing its corner controllers, first baseman Mia Mascarenas and third baseman Morgan Thatcher, the absence of McDougal in center shifted the lineup again for game two bringing in Peyeton Dilday. The freshman made a pair of right field putouts in the first inning including a sliding catch in foul territory to end the inning. Coming to the plate in the third inning for just the eighth time of the year, Dilday roped a double to the left center gap sparking the six-run Barton outburst erasing Colby's run advantage taken in the top of the second.

Fink followed with an RBI double, Laney Wood followed with an RBI single, Aly Lawrence connected on a base hit, with Karter Alvord loading the bases drawing a walk. One out later, Bartlett's drive to right center cleared the bags staking the Cougars out to a 6-1 lead.

Colby chipped away with a pair of runs coming in the fourth inning before flipping the advantage in the sixth by plating four runs on three hits and getting the aid from the second of Barton's two errors in the game.

Following McCormick's 8th double of the season opening up the bottom of the sixth, the Cougars were down to their final out of the frame until Wood's Texas-league base hit tied it up at seven. Lawrence then fought off six two-strike pitches to draw a walk to then trot home two pitches later on Alvord's 8th fence clearer of the season driving in Barton's final three runs.

Goseland, taking over for Brooklynn Angielski in the sixth inning, worked the final 1.2 innings including sending Colby down in order in the final frame to pick up the sophomore's first victory of the season.