Cougars score early and often in twin bill rout at Pratt #GoBarton #RoarCougs

Scoring a combined fifteen runs in each of Wednesday's twin bill first innings, the Barton Community College softball team rolled to a pair of run-rule shortened victories at Pratt Community College winning 15-0 and 11-2.

Jumping out to a 9-0 lead in the opener, the Cougars tacked on four more in the third in cruising to the big win before following with a six-run first frame in the nightcap as Barton scored in four of its five at-bat innings.

The victories keep the Cougars three games back in the Jayhawk East standings at 18-4 and 26-11 while sinking Pratt to 4-22 in league play and 4-43 overall.

Next up is Saturday's "Sophomore Day" as the Cougars host Southeast Community College in a 2:00 p.m. non-conference doubleheader.

Game One Recap
As potent as the Cougar offense was in pounding out fifteen hits, Tia Kohl was just as lethal in the circle surrendering just a two-out 1-2 pitch single in striking out seven improving to 12-4.

Nasadiya Salazar gave Kohl all the runs she needed just two batters into the game in driving home Jaelyn Carter's leadoff double. As the Cougars sent eleven batters to the plate before recording an out, Salazar's second at-bat of the inning drove in an additional pair of runs coming on Barton's seventh hit capping the nine run frame.

Carter led the hit parade with two additional hits in the contest including adding another double with Alexis Sharples also knocking a pair of two-bag hits including driving in one of the nine first inning tallies.

Betsy Parmley and Demi Kunkel each had multi-hit and multi-RBI performances with each also delivering a two-base hit in back-to-back fashion closing out the four run fourth and a 13-0 lead.

The final big blow of the opener came in the fifth as Lia Chan's one trip to the plate resulted in a 2-1 pitch being deposited over the center field fence for the freshman's first collegiate long ball.

Carter followed Chan with her third hit and second double to reset the bases, advancing to third on a passed ball before scoring on Jayden Solberg's fly to the outfield.

Game Two Recap
The Cougars cooled down to eleven hits in the back end of the doubleheader, spreading the wealth again through all but one of the starters.

Brooke McCollough led the RBI production with four, driving in two of those on a bases loaded first inning single. Parmley drove in the third run with an RBI single and following a Maggie Schuetz walk, Jade Phillips put three more on the board with the freshman's second home run in two days in staking Barton out to a 6-0 first frame lead.

Schuetz' double extended the second inning with Pratt's lone error the contest proving costly as the misplay on Phillips' hard hit ball scored McCollough's one-out walk and Schuetz growing the lead to eight.

Sharples lone hit of game came on the big fly variety to tack on a third inning solo run with the sophomore's second home run of the year.

Emma Horsch kept the Beavers in check throughout the contest improving to 8-4 on the year despite zero strikeouts in the five frames.

Pratt was only able to come up with four hits but a leadoff single was rolled up in a double play as Sharples snared a line shot to third before firing to first in catching the runner off the bag.

Horsch stayed clean of giving up free bases until the fourth as a one-out walk aided by a passed ball would cross the plate on a two-out single to spoil the shutout.

The Cougars pulled their own two-out rally to get the run back in Salazar drawing a walk, Hailey Pop picking up her second hit of the game, and McCollough driving in her final two runs on a double to left field.

Three one-out walks loaded the base on Horsch in the home half but Pratt's rally to extend the contest came up short as an RBI single was all the Beavers could put on the board.

Carter, Salazar, and McCollough each collected four hits in the doubleheader with McCollough the driving force with five runs batted in as Phillips finished with four.