After rolling to a 4-0 start at home to start the 2015 season, the Barton Community College softball team hit the road for the first time Saturday. And it wasn’t a short trip either. The Cougars traveled to far southeast corner of the state to battle Allen County in Iola.
Barton showed it could win on the road as well, sweeping the Red Devils to remain unbeaten. It was the season opener for Allen County.
Barton put up six run in the final two innings of the opener for a 9-7 come-from-behind win then jumped on Allen in the middle innings of the second game for a 10-4 win.
“We just need to continue to take each game one at a time,” Barton assistant coach Anna Voss said. “There’s no need to get cocky because of our record. As long as we show up to play like we have been these last few games, we should be able to surprise some people.
Brianna Ward played a big role in the comeback in game one with a homer in each the sixth and seventh innings. For Ward, a sophomore from Topeka, it was her first homers for the Cougars.
The Cougars trailed 7-3 heading into the sixth and were just six outs away from their first loss of the season. That is when Ward changed things. The third baseman led off the inning with a blast to center for her first home run in 48 at bats as a Cougar.
That gave Barton a spark and the comeback was on. After McKenna Mauler reached on an error, Bailey Hensley, the Cougars’ leading hitting at .545, tripled to right scoring Mauler and making it a 7-5 contest.
Jenna Hosey followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 7-6 and Barton was well within striking distance. The Cougars evened the contest with three straight 2-out singles. Kylie Everill, Holly Posegate, and Braydee Bakovich strung those together to even the game.
Ward gave the Cougars the lead with her second consecutive homer to lead off the seventh – this time to right. Hensley followed one out later with a blast to center and Barton had a 9-7 lead. Hensley ended with four hits and Ward three in the win.
Everill allowed just one base runner in the bottom of the seventh as she went the distance to improve to 3-0 on the season. The freshman surrendered seven hits and four walks on the way to the win.
“Being down by four runs in the sixth inning could put a damper on a team’s attitude, but our girls pushed through with timely hits yet again,” Voss said. “Brianna Ward couldn’t have hit her first two career homeruns at any better time.”
The Cougars had an easier time in the second game taking a 5-0 lead and were never threatened after that.
The game’s big blow came in the top of the third when Everill belted a grand slam. It was the third homer of the season to give her the team lead. The Utah-native also leads the Cougars with 12 RBI.
Barton added three more in the fifth keyed by 2-run double by Great Bend freshman Mauler to make it 8-1. Harper had three hits for the Cougars in the 10-4 win while Everill ended with five RBI. Ward scored three times.
Posegate went the distance for Barton allowing just three hits but struggled with five walks. The freshman struck out seven to improve to 2-0.
Barton will be on the road for two more doubleheaders during the week before heading to Borger, Texas for the Frank Phillips Tournament Saturday and Sunday.
Barton will travel to Lindsborg today in a rematch of the season opener with the Bethany JV. The Cougars are then off to Salina Thursday to do battle with Brown Mackie in a twinbill