By TODD MOORE
Barton Sports Info
Scoring in all but one inning Monday afternoon at Cougar Field, the Barton Community College softball team picked up a pair of non-conference run-rule shortened victories over Otero College 16-8 and 14-6.
Barton led throughout the opener following a first inning three-run frame before holding off a late Otero charge, matching the Rattlers' five-run top of the fifth with their own five plate crossers to end the contest in five innings.
A three-run advantage held up until the fifth inning of game two, Otero taking a 4-3 lead but the Cougars responded with eight plate crossers to eventually put the game away in the sixth frame on Mikaila Herring's walk-off two-run homerun.
The Cougars improve to 24-16 on the year while Otero wraps up their regular season slate at 21-26. Barton returns to conference play on Wednesday with a 2:00 p.m. first pitch at Pratt Community College before concluding its home and regular season schedule on Saturday hosting Hutchinson Community College. First pitch against the Blue Dragons slated for 1:00 p.m. with sophomore recognition taking place between the two games of the doubleheader.
Barton connected on thirty hits on the afternoon, seven coming from Chloe Enslinger as the freshman from Derby was perfect on the day going 7-for-7 with five extra base hits including her team leading 8th home run of the season.
Matching Enslinger with a 5-RBI day, Herring contributed five plate crossers on a 5-of-7 afternoon as did Elina Bartlett from her 5-of-8 performance.
Bartlett picked up the game one victory improving to 8-3 on the season, Alicia Goseland's 1.2 inningx of relief earning the game two win improving to 3-4 on the year.
Otero finished with 23 hits including six home runs led by Ana Medeiros's 4-of-6 performance and two bombs for her 14th and 15th of the year. Mariah Johnson's pair of fence clearers for two of her four hits bringing her season total to 7 with Faith Giebenrath and Gabby Rodriguez going yard for their 2nd and 13th respectively.
Game One Recap
Laci Dryden and Leslie Ramos reached via the walk and hit by pitch setting up Barton's initial three runs, Aly Lawrence plating one on her 16th double of the season with Allyson McDougal's groundout and Enslinger's sac fly pushing across two more runs.
Otero got two back in the ensuing frame, a leadoff Dasia Halstead double scoring on Giebenrath's first of two hits in the game.
Herring and Cameron Pelzel were each 3-for-3 in game one with a combined 5 RBI, the duo getting the second inning started with hits before scoring on Ramos' second hit pitch in as many at-bats, pushing the run across on the bases loaded situation and Lawrence chalking up an RBI on a lined sac fly to center.
The Rattlers got one back in the third as Kamryn Foster's one-out double would score on Medeiros' first of two hits.
Two more runs would hit the home team's side of the scoreboard in the bottom half of the frame, Enslinger's leadoff single and Bartlett reaching on error scoring on Herring's single and Pelzel's 4th double of the year.
Following a scoreless fourth for the Rattlers, Barton added four more runs, each coming on two outs. McDougal's hit extended her streak to five straight games, later ending at that mark in coming up empty in game two. A trio of doubles ensued off the bats of Enslinger, Bartlett, and Herring with Herring concluding the inning's output eventually crossing on a wild pitch pushing the Barton advantage to 11-3.
After a leadoff single, Lawrence induced a pair of infield pop-ups and was a strike away from putting the Rattlers away but Medeiros had other plans in launching the 2-2 pitch out of the park. A walk later and Johnson cut two more runs off the deficit with her 6th dinger of the year. Following a Sidney Larrew double keeping the momentum going, Goseland took over in the circle and was greeted by a Giebenrath RBI single before inducing a groundout to escape further damage with the lead trimmed to 11-8.
Barton went back to work with one-out in the home half, Lawrence connecting on her second double in being followed by McDougal's reach on a fielder's choice before Enslinger belted a three-run job for her 8th of the year. Bartlet followed with a double, Herring drew a walk, and Pelzel put the game away driving a shot up the middle for the 2-RBI single as Herring's speed around the bases concluding with a slide around the tag at home sealing the contest.
Game Two
The concluding game started off slower than the opener, Barton coming up empty in the first frame before plating two in the second and one in the third. Enslinger's leadoff double set up the second frame, Pelzel extending her hit streak to seven straight games delivering an RBI single with Laci Dryden's lone hit driving in the second run. Enslinger would again spark the offense in the third, extending the frame on a two out double before scoring on Bartlett's run producing hit.
Following a scoreless fourth, Otero took their lone lead with four runs in the fifth, Johnson and Medeiros each providing a two-run fence clearer.
Facing their first deficit, Barton's initial eight reached base in the home half, Kelsi Gaston leading off with a single, Bartlett connecting on a two-run RBI base knock, Lani Dryden's RBI single, and Laci Dryden's bases loaded walk highlighting the surge. Lawrence's sac fly being the first out of the inning followed by Gaston's RBI groundout concluding the 8-run answer flipping the home advantage to 11-4.
Otero put a two-run dent in the deficit in the top of the six, Angelyse Martinez' one-out double trotting home on Rodriguez' 13th home run of the year.
The Cougars only had to send up three batters to end the contest in run-rule fashion, Enslinger's third two-bagger of the nightcap speeding home on Bartlett's 15th double of the season and two pitches later Herring quickly concluded the day's action driving a 1-0 pitch deep to left for the walk-off on the sophomore's 5th dinger of the season.