The Barton Community College softball team's postseason run came to an end with a pair of losses Saturday at the Region VI Tournament held at Legends Park in Dodge City, KS.
Coming off an 11-9 offensive shootout victory Friday over Garden City, the Cougar bats would be silenced to just two runs and seven hits in their pair of games on Saturday.
Held to just one hit in the opener falling to the elimination side of the bracket dropping a five inning 10-0 result to 6th ranked Butler Community College, the Barton sticks continued to search for the key knock just 20-minutes later manufacturing just two runs on six hits falling on the short end 3-2, to Colby Community College closing the 2022 campaign at 25-22.
G1 vs Butler
Producing runners in scoring position in four of the five innings aided behind six walks and a hit, the Cougar bats were unable to cash in for the big knock off the Grizzlies pitching staff.
Barton generated its' first pair of scoring opportunities in the opening two frames as a one-out Kayden Smith walk and Jaysa Anderson two-out walk would be left to end the first while a stranded two out Ireland Cotton walk would be stranded on a flyout in the second.
Starting hurler Kayla Beers (10-10) got the opening five batters out till a pair of two-out singles and costly error extending the second assisted Butler with the first of five runs all coming with two-away.
Sydni Williams offered Barton its' third scoring chance in the top of the third advancing to second on a passed ball following the fourth Cougar walk, but Montgomery remained nails inside the circle for the Grizzlies inducing a groundout to escape trouble.
Butler broke open the game generating their second five-run inning in the bottom of the third capitalizing on a leadoff home run, pair of RBI singles and two-RBI triple.
In the fourth both teams would squander scoring opportunities with Barton stranding back-to-back two out Adreanna Lance and Cotton walks while Cougar pitcher Elizabeth Horsch worked out of a bases loaded jam to keep the Grizzlies off the board.
Halie Stoneking broke up the no-hitter to open the fifth off Butler's Kendal LeGrand but the Cougars timely hit never amounted as a pair of fielder's choice mixed between a strikeout ended any comeback hope.
G2 vs Colby
Facing elimination Barton jumped out quickly striking for the game's opening run as Anderson's leadoff single would cross the plate on Lance's RBI sacrifice fly.
Unfortunately it would be the last lead Barton would hold with the Trojans accounting for the tying run on a Cougar throwing error succeeding a back-to-back double and single with one out.
Remained locked in a defensive battle, Colby generated the important knock in the fourth as a one-out double and walk produced the eventual game winning two-out, two-RBI double by Grace Jenkins.
Trailing 3-1 with two innings to work with, Barton would trim the deficit to one as an Anderson sacrifice fly brought home the Cougars' lone extra base hit coming on Smith's leadoff double and advancement to third on a passed ball.
Still searching for the needed crooked inning, the Cougar bats remained held in check stranding the tying run at first succeeding Lexi Dryden's two-out single.
Beers (10-11) fell on the wrong side working 2.2-innings allowing two earned runs, surrendering four hits, walking one and striking out two.
Outhitting the Trojans 6-4, the Cougars stranded five baserunners to Colby's three.