The Barton Community College softball team experienced two very different scripts Saturday afternoon at Cougar Field, outlasting Dodge City Community College 10-9 in a wild opener before falling 6-1 in the nightcap to earn a Jayhawk Conference split.
Barton moves to 9-5 in conference play and 17-15 overall, while Dodge City stands at 10-4 in the Jayhawk and 26-12 on the season. The Cougars will look to build off the split Wednesday traveling to Garden City Community College for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.
Barton combined for 11 runs on 14 hits across the twinbill, highlighted by a seven-run second inning in the opener. Morgan Thatcher capped the Cougars' big 7-run second frame of the opener with a grand slam, while Shaylee Spears recorded her first collegiate triple as part of a multi-hit performance. In the circle, Peyton McCormick picked up the game one victory improving to 4-7, while Charley Wheeler notched her first collegiate save.
In the nightcap, Dodge City's Avery McCloskey stifled the Barton bats, taking a perfect game 5.2 innings to counter Ellie Crawford's career high nine strikeouts in taking her first collegiate loss of the season.
Game One – Barton 10, Dodge City 9In a game packed with momentum swings and long balls, Barton rode a decisive second-inning eruption and held off a late Dodge City rally to secure a 10-9 victory in the opener.
Dodge City struck first on a leadoff home run in the opening inning, bug Barton answered immediately as McCormick delivered an RBI single scoring Spears' triple to even things at one.
The Cougars seized control in the second inning, capitalizing on defensive miscues to plate seven unearned runs with two outs. Following Kahli Fields' single to extend the frame, Spears connected with a single before a Dodge City throwing error plated the first tally. McCormick's fielder's choice plated another with Ella Pomme loading the bases via wearing the badge of honor. Facing a full-count pitch, Thatcher drilled a line shot to centerfield for the decisive blow, as her second home run of the season pushed Barton's lead to 8-1.
Dodge City chipped away with power, using a pair of wind aided home runs in the fourth to cut the deficit to 8-4 before Barton answered Pomme's leadoff single to later score on a wild pitch extended the gap back to five. The Conquistadors continued their push with a two-run homer in the fifth, but Erpelding responded with an RBI single scoring Fields' leadoff walk to make it 10-6.
The Conqs made one final charge in the sixth, trimming the margin to a single run at 10-9 behind a solo home run and a two-run double.
Wheeler shut the door from there.
Entering in relief, Wheeler struck out two in tossing the final two innings to earn her first collegiate save, striking out two more in the seventh preserving the win. McCormick earned the victory with five innings of work, striking out five improving to 4-7 on the season.
Barton matched Dodge City with 10 hits, led by multi-hit efforts from Spears and Karter Alvord, while Thatcher's four RBIs powered the offensive surge.
Game Two – Dodge City 6, Barton 1Dodge City flipped the momentum in the nightcap, riding a four-run first inning and a dominant pitching performance to earn a 6-1 victory.
The Conquistadors struck immediately with a pair of two-run home runs in the opening frame, as Avery McCloskey and Kloe Nelson each went deep to stake Dodge City to a quick 4-0 advantage.
McCloskey continued to control the game from the circle, carrying a perfect game into the fifth inning before Thatcher broke it up with a two-out single.
Despite the early deficit, Crawford regrouped and delivered a strong outing, striking out a career-high nine across her complete game effort. The loss marked Crawford's first of the season, moving her to 6-1.
Dodge City added a run in the fifth on a passed ball before McCloskey connected for her second home run of the game and third of the day in the seventh to extend the lead to 6-0.
Barton was limited to four hits on the afternoon but avoided the shutout in the final inning as Laney Wood launched a solo home run for the Cougars' lone run on her second of the season.
Wood, McCormick, Carly Erpelding, and Thatcher each recorded a hit, but the early deficit and McCloskey's handcuffing the Cougars throughout proved too much to overcome.