The Barton Community College softball team surrendered late runs Friday at Cougar Field in dropping a pair of conference games hosting Hutchinson Community College.
Barton's two run lead into the seventh went by the wayside as the Blue Dragons plated four in the frame to win the opener 7-5 then erased the Cougars' two run edge in the fifth inning by scoring five in capturing the sweep on an eventual 8-3 score.
Having lost to No. 6 (Butler) and No. 5 Odessa in its previous meetings, the pair of losses to nationally receiving votes drops Barton to .500 in conference play and overall, slipping to 6-6 in league and 12-12 on the season. Hutchinson improves to 20-4 on the season with a league leading 11-1 record.
The Cougars have a short turnaround with a Saturday trip to Goodland, Kansas, for a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader at Northwest Kansas Technical College before playing its third contest date on Monday in hosting Dodge City Community College in a 1:00 p.m. twin bill.