Barton softball recovers from escaped victory, takes nightcap to split conference opener

The Barton Community College softball team squandered the first game of Monday's doubleheader but bounced back to take the second game at Cougar Field to split the conference opener against Colby Community College.   Colby erased a two run Barton lead with a three run sixth then tacked on two more in the seventh to win the opener 6-4.  The Lady Cougars then built a five run lead through the nightcap's first three innings and pounded out thirteen hits in earning the split with a 9-4 victory.   Barton moves to 15-4 on the season while Colby leaves town 9-6.   Coming off a nine-game five-day stretch, the Lady Cougars will one day's rest before heading to Liberal, Kansas, on Wednesday to take on Seward County Community College in a 2:00 p.m. Jayhawk West doubleheader. 

Reigning conference and national player of the week Erica Harper came through with three of Barton's six hits in game one.  Going 3-for-4 from the plate, Harper started off the game launching her fifth homerun of the season with a two-out blast to left field giving Barton a 1-0 lead. 

Colby put up a serious threat in the third as Brittnee and Courtnee Higgs led off with consecutive walks followed by Shelby Day's single to load the bases.  Collette West sent a shot down the right field line but Harper made a great running catch along the foul line as the sacrifice fly would be all Colby could get out of the situation.

Similar to the Colby third, Braydee Bakovich and Bailey Hensley led off the home half with consecutive walks.  One batter later, Harper put Barton back one by one with a single driving home Bakovich.   Harper would strike back again in the fifth inning following up singles by Hensley and Brianna Ward with a hot shot past the Colby shortstop giving Barton a two run lead accounting for all three of the Barton runs.

Unfortunately for the Lady Cougars, Colby would have two more innings to make up the deficit and the Lady Trojans took full advantage of it.  

Elizabeth Bertram led off the sixth with a liner up the middle deflecting off Barton starting pitcher Holly Posegate.  Down and a little dazed, Head Coach Marc Benjamin went to the bullpen bringing in Taylor Bugner, buying time for Posegate to regroup.  Having mowed down twenty-seven batter over the weekend, Bugner struck out Alix Johnson before an infield error rallied the Lady Trojans.  Tanner Harvey, batting in the seventh spot, followed with an RBI single before Brittnee Higgs drew a walk.  Posegate re-entered the game and had Courtnee Higgs down in a 0-2 hole before Higgs delivered the big blow lacing a double to left field scoring two and just like that Colby grabbed a 4-3 lead.

The Trojans weren't done scoring as the top of the seventh was again keyed by a Barton one-out error allowing Johnson to reach base.  A Hannah Charlton single ensued then Harvey put the final dagger in the Lady Cougars with a double to right field plating two more pushing the Colby lead to 6-3.

Hensley tried to give the Lady Cougars life by leading off the home half with a single but two quick outs dimmed the hopes.  Hensley would move around the bases on a sac fly and two wild pitches but it was too little too late as Barton dropped the conference opener 6-4.

Posegate took the loss dropping to 6-2 on the season going 6.2 innings giving up seven hits, four runs, three walks and three strikeouts.

As Harper was the hitting star in game one, Bailey Hensley was the big bat at the plate for the Lady Cougars in game two.  Going 4-for-4 and reaching a fifth time by drawing a walk, the former conference player of the week drove in five runs leading the thirteen hit and eight RBI second game for Barton.  

Hensley led off the game with a single and Brianna Ward followed with a walk setting up Kylie Everill's one-out double to left field.  Holly Posegate then sent a liner up the middle like she saw in the first game's sixth inning, and unfortunately would knock Colby starter Abigail Martin from the game.  Ward would score on the play as Barton jumped to the early 2-0 lead.

Game one winner Mara Nash came off the bench to close out the first with two strikeouts then struck out two more in the Barton second inning.  But the Lady Cougars finally broke through on Nash in the third getting leadoff walks by Posegate and Caitlin Garcia.  Braydee Bakovich, who would go 3-for-4 in the number nine spot in the lineup, would load the bases with her second single of the game.  Down in the count 1-2, Hensley blasted a shot to right field clearing the bases putting Barton out to a five run advantage.

Striking out five through three innings of play, Taylor Bugner looked to have pitched around a leadoff infield error and hit batsman, getting the next two batters to fly out.  Leaving the first pitch up in the zone, Alix Johnson launched her first collegiate homerun over the left field fence to draw the Lady Trojans to within two.

Stranding two of their eleven runners in the fourth inning, Barton would answer Colby's three runs in the fourth with three of their own in the home half of the fifth inning.  McKenna Mauler reached base to begin the inning being hit by pitch and Bakovich followed with a sharp single up the middle.  Getting her fourth RBI of the game, Hensley delivered a single to left center scoring Mauler from second.  Following a Ward single to left and a Harper fielder's choice erasing Hensley off the base paths, Everill completed her 2-for-4 game sending a full count pitch to the base of the center field fence scoring Ward from second.  Barton was able to tack on another as Colby's second error of the game allowed Posegate to reach base and Harper to cross the plate.   

Hensley drove home her fifth RBI in the bottom half of the sixth driving home Mauler who picked up her first hit of the day on a one-out single to left.

Going to the bench in the latter innings, reserves Greta Alstrom and Morgan Worthington delayed the celebration with consecutive two-out doubles giving Colby its fourth and final run.

Bugner picked up the win to improve to 6-1 on the season scattering six hits allowing only one earned run while walking none and striking out eight.