Barton Softball creates title havoc, Cougars split finale with Hutchinson #GoBarton

For thirteen innings Sunday at Cougar Field, it appeared the Barton Community College softball team might pull off a sweep but the league leading Blue Dragons of Hutchinson Community College wouldn't go down without a battle in salvaging the conference and regular season finale.

In the opener, the Cougars' Meleia Ingram delivered a near lights-out pitching performance while receiving timely home runs from Mia Mascarenas and Chloe Enslinger for a 3-0 victory in snapping a 17-game losing streak to the Blue Dragons.

Through six innings of game two, Barton held a 5-2 advantage only to have Hutchinson plate five runs on six hits in storming back to the 7-5 victory clinching the Blue Dragons a share of the KJCCC title.

The results leave Barton in third place at 25-7 and 32-14 overall while Hutchinson concludes the slate tied atop of the standings with Butler at 27-5 and 35-9 on the season.

Next up for both teams is the Region 6 Tournament taking place May 2-5 at Dodge City's Legend Park.

Sophomore Celebration: Photos  Video

Game 1 Recap
Ingram improved to 17-5 with the game one victory, surrendering just a 6th inning, 1-out hit and walking three in striking out 10 Blue Dragons in ringing up ten or more punchouts for the 6th time of the Salina freshman's season.

Mascarenas gave Barton all the runs they'd need in leading off the 3rd inning with the first of her two hits in the contest, a left field fence clearer with her parents from Texas in attendance for the sophomore's 4th long ball of the year.

After the Blue Dragons threatened but came up empty in the top of the six, Allyson McDougal's one-out hit in the home half was followed by Enslinger's first yard exiter of the day providing a pair of insurance runs.

Game 2
Despite Hutchinson getting a pair of hits in their first at-bat, no damage was done to the scoreboard in part to Enslinger throwing out her first of two attempted base thefts in game.

Barton immediately grabbed the lead in their home half on back-to-back jacks from Laney Wood and Aly Lawrence as each connected on her 4th home run of the year to chase starter Aubree Thomas.

The Blue Dragons answered with two in the second on three hits and a sacrifice fly with the Cougars countering with another two tallies in the home half.

Karter Alvord's 1-out triple down the first base line gave the Cougars new life and following Mascarenas wearing the badge of honor, Morgan Thatcher put Barton on top with an RBI hit. Wood's fielder's choice erased Thatcher at second, then the Cougars' leading base stealer picked up her 21st of the season creating an errant throw for Mascarenas to trot home across the dish.

Three frames went scoreless until Enslinger opened up the sixth inning launching her 17th of the season to straightway center. The 28th blast of the Derby sophomore's career moved into a tie with Jayden Gonzales ('16 and '17 seasons) for the second most in program history, trailing only Erica Harper's 35 total from the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Hutchinson would end up outhitting the Cougars 14-7, six coming in their final at-bat for the five-run deficit eraser.

A leadoff single set the table with two more hits following on one-out to chase starter Brooklyn Angielski from the game. A switch to Alicia Goseland did little to slow down the momentum even though Cougars came out on the wrong side of a fielder's choice play at third base in plating a run. Another single ensued with a two-RBI connection giving Hutchinson the lead as a sacrifice fly pushed the advantage to 7-5.

Down to their final out, McDougal's reach on error extended the inning but Enslinger's fly out to left would be the final nail.

Goseland took the loss dropping to 2-1 with game one loser Morgan Tomlinson working the final two innings of relief picking up the victory moving to 20-5 on the season. Jessica Schmidt, who entered the game following the Cougars' consecutive first inning home runs, hurled five innings in surrendering two runs on four hits.