The Barton Community College softball team tasted defeat for the first time this season. Its response? A 19-4 win.
The Cougars dropped the opening game of a doubleheader at Fort Scott Wednesday in a game moved up a day due to the weather. Barton let the opener get away from them in the final inning, giving up five runs to blow an 8-3 lead. Fort Scott won the game 9-8 in eight innings to hand Barton its first loss of the season. The Cougars responded in a big way with a 19-4 win in the nightcap to improve to 9-1.
Barton was well on its way to a 9-0 start in the opener, leading 6-1 into the bottom of sixth. Fort
Scott scored twice but Barton responded with two of its own to make it 8-3 just three outs from a win.
Then it all fell apart. Back-to-back singles to start the inning was followed by a 1-out bunt single loaded the bases against starter Holly Posegate.
A pitching change didn’t stop the momentum. Two more singles sandwiched around a force out made it 8-6. Another single tied the game at 8-all before reliever Kylie Everill finally got out of the inning.
The game ended on a 2-out single in the eighth.
Everill homered, doubled and drove in four for Barton in the loss.
Barton responded in the second game with a 12-run third inning on the way to the five-inning win.
The Cougars hit back-to-to-back homers in the inning. The big blast was a grand slam off the bat of Brianna Ward to make it 10-0. Erica Harper and Everill followed with home runs of their own to cap the 12-run inning.
Harper ended the game with four hits and six RBI. Ward also doubled in addition to her grand slam and ended with four RBI on her three hits. The Cougars had 16 hits in the five innings of play.
Taylor Bugner went all five innings, giving up the four runs on five hits and four walks. She struck out six to improve to 3-0.
The scheduled Jayhawk West opener against Colby set for this past weekend was postponed due to weather. The contest was been rescheduled for Monday March 9.
Instead the Cougars will open conference play Wednesday at Butler in a 3 pm doubleheader. Butler is currently 3-8.