Barton batters Lady Tiger pitching in a sweep of doubleheader

The Barton Community College softball team showed why they are currently atop the Jayhawk West standings by belting seven home runs in a 15-3 and 11-8 doubleheader sweep at Cowley College on Tuesday in Arkansas City.

The Lady Tigers, ranked No. 23 in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, are now 15-7, while the NJCAA Division I Cougars improved to 13-5.

In game one, the first four batters reached base safely against Lady Tiger starting pitcher Aubrey Williams, and the Cougars scored three runs in the top of the first inning.

Cowley got a run back in the bottom of the first as Kanon Goji led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Alissa Nuno, and came around to score on a one-out single by Taverli Tennant.

After the first three batters reached safely off Williams (1-2) to lead off the second inning, Mikah Vann entered in relief of Williams with the bases loaded and nobody out. Vann did a good job of limiting the damage to just one run as Barton's lead grew to 4-1. Ing when Raelynn Sandlin doubled with two outs and scored on a bloop single by Bre Curry.

A defensive miscue by Cowley allowed the Cougars to extend the top of the fourth inning, and Barton made them pay by getting a run-scoring ground-rule double by Aly Lawrence and a two-run homer by Chloe Enslinger to lead 7-2. Peyton McCormick made it back-to-back homers off Vann as the Cougars' lead grew to 8-2.

Cowley would get the run back in the bottom half of the inning on a home run by sophomore Paige Scanlin. However, Barton answered with three more home runs and seven runs scored over the next two innings as they went on to the six-inning run-rule win.

"We didn't compete as a team like we needed to," Cowley head coach Jenny Hoyt said. "Barton is a good team, and you have to play good all-around softball in order to get the win, and we just didn't do that."

McCormick hit two of Barton's five home runs in the win of game one and drove in five runs.

Barton's Meleia Ingram (7-2) earned the win as she allowed five hits and three runs in six innings.

The Cougars then jumped on Cowley for seven runs in the first inning of game two. Cougar catcher Grace Hembree's three-run homer capped the seven-run first.

Lady Tiger starting pitcher Ezra Arredondo (5-2) shook off the rocky first inning to go the distance on the mound as Cowley clawed its way back to within 9-8 following a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Unfortunately, Barton tacked on two more runs in the seventh, and Cougar pitcher Brooklynn Angielski tossed a complete game to preserve the 11-8 win.

"Game two, we made the defense adjustment, but offensively, they out-hit us," Hoyt said.

Barton added two more homers in the nightcap, while Cowley was led by shortstop Taverli Tennant went 2-for-3 with two triples and four runs batted in.

Lady Tiger second basemen Kanon Goji also played well, going 2-for-3 with three runs scored.

Cowley will now prepare to host Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa (7-11) in a doubleheader on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Score by inning:

Game one                  R H E

Barton  3 1 0 4 2 5 – 15 13 0

Cowley 1 1 0 1 0 0 – 3 5 2

Game two                     R H E

Barton  7 0 2 0 0 0 2 – 11 13 2

Cowley 2 4 0 0 0 2 0 – 8 7 1