The Barton Community College softball team continued its early-season progress Friday afternoon, returning from Seminole, Oklahoma, with a hard-earned split at No. 18 ranked Seminole State College.
After watching timely hits slip away in recent outings, the Cougars delivered in key moments this time around. Karter Alvord's two-out home run in the seventh lifted Barton to a 4-3 victory in the opener, while the nightcap featured more late drama. Down to its final out, Barton received a bases-loaded, two-run gap shot from Hailey Horton to tie the contest before Seminole answered with a walk-off single in the home half to escape with a split.
The results leave Barton at 4-3 on the season, while Seminole moves to 4-2. The Cougars now have a week off before returning to action in Iola, Kansas, taking on host Allen Community College in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader Friday, followed by Saturday's 2:00 p.m. twinbill against Iowa Western Community College.
Alvord and Laney Wood paced Barton's 16-hit afternoon with three hits apiece. Alvord delivered two in the opener, including her 11th career home run, while Wood collected two in the nightcap, including a seventh-inning knock that helped spark Barton's rally.
In the circle, Charley Wheeler earned the Game 1 victory, tossing a two-hitter to improve to 2-2 on the season. Peyton McCormick was nearly as sharp in the nightcap, scattering five hits and allowing just one earned run in taking the tough-luck loss, slipping to 1-3.
Game 1 RecapSeminole capitalized on the first of three Barton errors in the game to grab an early lead in its opening at-bat, but the Cougars responded with power in the third. After Mollie Steiner was hit by a pitch, Carlie Erpelding launched a drive to straightaway center for her first collegiate home run, also marking Barton's first long ball of the season, to put the Cougars in front.
Steiner's two-out double in the fourth pushed the advantage to two, but the Trojans answered in the bottom half with a pair of singles and an RBI groundout to trim the deficit to 3-2.
Wheeler, who had issued just one walk through five innings, worked around traffic before Seminole used two free passes and a fielder's choice to knot the score entering the seventh.
That set the stage for Alvord's heroics. With two outs, she turned on a pitch and sent it soaring over the left-field wall for the decisive blow. Wheeler then navigated a tense bottom half, overcoming a two-out miscue and inducing a groundout to seal the 4-3 victory.
Game 2 RecapThe nightcap unfolded as a pitcher's duel through five scoreless frames before Seminole broke through in the sixth. A leadoff double and walk set the table, with Barton's first of two errors helping plate a run before a sacrifice fly made it 2-0.
Down to their final strike in the seventh, the Cougars refused to fade. Chalyn Boone delivered a single to ignite the rally, Wood followed with her second hit of the game, and Erpelding drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Facing a 1-2 count, Horton ripped a drive into the gap to score two and tie the contest at 2-2, swinging the momentum squarely back to the Cougars.
Seminole answered quickly in the bottom half. Back-to-back singles and a fielder's choice loaded the bases before an out later, a drive to center brought home the winning run for the Trojans' 3-2 walk-off victory.