The Barton Community College softball team delivered a record-book offensive eruption Friday afternoon at Cougar Field, overwhelming Fort Hays Tech Northwest with 27-1 and 26-0 five-inning run-rule victories.
The Cougars improve to 12-6 in Jayhawk Conference play and 20-16 overall, while Fort Hays Tech Northwest drops to 0-18 in league action and 1-33 on the season. Barton returns to action Wednesday hosting Pratt Community College for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch doubleheader.
In a day defined by relentless production, Barton piled up 53 runs on 47 hits across just eight offensive innings. The Cougars' 27-run opener ties for the second-highest single-game total in program history, while the 26-run nightcap ranks tied for fifth.
Barton produced a staggering .681 team batting average (47-of-69) across the twinbill, driving in 50 runs of its 53 total in just eight innings of at-bats. Twelve Cougars recorded hits with eight players tallying multi-hit performances.
Peyton McCormick paced the offense with a perfect 5-for-5, recording two doubles, a triple, and seven RBI. Karter Alvord also hit flawlessly at 4-for-4, scoring six runs while adding a double, two triples, and six RBI.
Shaylee Spears went 8-for-9 in the second spot of the lineup, connecting on her first six at-bats and scoring a team-high seven runs with three extra-base hits, while Morgan Thatcher drove in a game-high 10 RBI across the two games, including her third home run of the season and a triple.
Laney Wood (6 hits, 5 runs), Addison Crockett (5 hits, 5 runs), and Hailey Horton (4 RBI, HR) added to the offensive surge.
Coming off the bench, Grace Hembree connected on her first home run of the season on a three-run shot in game one. Arabell Razzano made four plate appearances, drawing three walks with the highlight coming in the fourth inning of the nightcap, sending a one-hopper to the fence for her first collegiate hit, a 2-RBI double driving in her first collegiate runs.
In the circle, Barton pitchers allowed just four hits and one run while striking out 14, with Charley Wheeler pitching a near perfect game one and Ellie Crawford handling game two.
Game One – Barton 27, Fort Hays Tech Northwest 1 (5 innings)
Fort Hays Tech's lone run came in the game's first inning as Legase Leaumoana drew a walk—Wheeler's lone blemish—then swiped her 19th base of the year before advancing to third on a wild pitch. One out later, Natori Yates' groundout plated Leaumoana for the lone tally.
Barton responded immediately and emphatically, scoring six runs in the bottom half before unleashing a 12-run second inning to seize complete control.
McCormick ignited the response with a three-run triple in the opening frame, while Thatcher followed with a two-run home run as Barton surged ahead 6-1.
The second inning turned the contest into a runaway. RBI hits from Alvord, McCormick, and Horton highlighted the 12-run frame, with Horton's two-run homer for her third of the season capping the outburst and pushing the margin to 18-1.
Barton added a run in the third on Kahli Fields' sacrifice fly before plating eight more in the fourth, beginning with Ella Pomme's leadoff hit in scoring on Crawford's 2-run double, punctuated by Hembree's three-run blast to complete the scoring by coming off the bench in replacing Carly Erpelding's 2-for-3, three RBI opener.
In the circle, Wheeler was dominant, allowing no hits across five innings, with the first inning walk being the only blemish in striking out eight to improve to 8-6 on the season.
Game Two – Barton 26, Fort Hays Tech Northwest 0 (5 innings)
If game one was overwhelming, game two was immediate.
Barton erupted for 15 runs on 11 hits in the opening inning, sending a wave of hitters to the plate and putting the game out of reach.
Alvord led the early surge with five RBI in the inning, delivering both a two-run double and a three-run triple. Thatcher added a three-run triple, while Spears, Crockett, and McCormick each delivered RBI doubles.
The Cougars continued to add on with two runs in the second, Camry Carlson's fielder's choice driving in the first as Wood drove in another, and three in the third on Spears' double and RBI hits from Wood and Chalyn Boone. Six more runs crossed in the Cougars' final at-bat in the fourth, Boone adding another RBI hit followed by Razzano's memorable 2-RBI double, with Wood's RBI hit and Thatcher's 2-RBI single for her 5th RBI of the game closing out the scoring.
Crawford earned the victory, working four scoreless innings while allowing three hits and striking out five to improve to 7-1 on the year. Trista Rogers closed out the shutout with a scoreless fifth.