Sure, it was a pair of games it was expected to win. But after a rough start to the regular season, a 7-game winning streak is just that, a 7-game winning streak.
That is where the Barton softball team is after a sweep of the Kansas Wesleyan junior varsity Sunday afternoon at Cougar Fields.
So after crawling out of the gates to a 0-9 start to the season, the Cougars are now sprinting with seven straight wins to get ever closer to that .500 mark at 7-9.
Barton won the opener 5-2 then exploded for 10 runs in the final three innings of the second game for an 11-3 run-rule win in six innings.
Barton jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the day when Emma Horsch doubled in Hailey Pop, Morgan Michaelis, and Andreana Reynolds. Barton secured the win with two more in the fifth to give them so breathing room after the Coyotes had cut the lead to 3-2.
It was again Horsch doing the damage with a single that scored Allison Panning and Reynolds.
Not only did Horsch, a freshman from Lyons, drive in all five runs at the plate, she shut down the Coyotes in the circle. Horsch gave up six hits and two unearned while striking out five in her seven innings of work to improve to 3-5.
In the second game, Barton blew open a 1-all game with five runs in the fourth, three more in the fifth and two in the sixth for the 11-3 win. Maggie Schuetz had a big game for Barton, driving in four runs on three hits and scoring twice. Pop hit her third home run of the season. Panning went all six innings to pick up the win, giving up just one earned run. The Ellinwood freshman is 4-3.
Barton will step back into Jayhawk West play Wednesday, where it is 4-0. The Cougars will travel to Colby to take on a Trojan team that is 4-2 in the West and 17-5 overall.

Game 1
Barton 5, Wesleyan JV 2
KW JV 002 000 0 – 2 6 2
Barton 300 002 x – 5 8 5
Stubits and Born; Horsch and Michaelis. W – Horsch (3-5). L – Stubits. 2B – Reynolds, Horsch, Barton.

Game 2
Barton 11, Wesleyan JV 3
KW JV 100 011 – 3 9 2
Barton 100 532 – 11 12 3
Reyes, Ross (4) and Born; Panning and Reynolds. W – Panning (4-3). L – Reyes. 3B – Gallagher, KW. HR – Pop, Barton.