The Barton Cougar softball team picked up a conference split at Cougar Field winning the first 6-5 with the No. 15 Butler Grizzlies salvaging the split 8-4.
The opener's victory was the Cougars' 13th straight to open conference play with the game two loss sliding Barton back to 13-1 and 19-7 overall as Butler departs at 8-4 in league and 15-5 on the season.
Barton travels to Hutchinson (19-5, 13-1) Wednesday for the Jayhawk League lead.
Elina Bartlett and Laney Wood each collected three hits in their six at-bats, Barlett beginning the day with a 2-for-3 performance including a 3-run home run for her 3rd of the year with Wood also going 2-of-3 in the backend of the doubleheader extending her consecutive games with a hit to 19 straight.
Chloe Enslinger's delivered the Cougars' other fence clearer driving the second pitch of game one's second inning into the trees beyond the left field fence for the sophomore's 12th yard exiter of the season and 23rd of her career.
Meleia Ingram earned the complete game one victory scattering six hits and striking out five improving to 10-3 on the year.
Barton's season high four errors in game two didn't help matters in sending Brooklynn Angielski to 8-3 on the year on 3.2 innings of work and three unearned runs with Alicia Goseland allowing just one run in pitching a solid 3.1 innings of work.
COUGARS 6, GRIZZLIES 5-- A one-out Claire Lopez triple, scoring on an errant throw coming back to the infield, gave Butler the early lead lasting until two pitches into Barton's second frame at-bat as Enslinger's launch to the trees tied it up.
Chloe Odle (5-2) took the game one loss, walking four Cougars in the inning with Wood drawing a bases loaded free pass putting Barton up 2-1.
The margin grew to four in the ensuing third frame, Odle still struggling to find the zone walking Lawrence and Enslinger to begin the inning before one-out later Bartlett belted the first pitch to straight away center for her third of the year.
Butler got two back in the fifth as a hit by pitch and one-out single would score later in the inning on a passed ball and throwing error.
The Grizzlies returned the favor in the sixth inning in what would be the final difference maker as Morgan Thatcher's leadoff hit, advancing to third on a fielder's choice and infield error, was pushed home on Allyson McDougal's fielder's choice.
A one-out walk in the top of the seventh appeared to be stranded until Lopez' single up the middle extended the frame with Chloe Cardona cutting the deficit to one with an RBI double to left. Having struck out the first batter of the frame, Ingram regrouped to get the game ending punchout snapping Barton's three-game losing streak of the series.
GRIZZLIES 8, COUGARS 4 -- In Butler's previous three conference doubleheader splits, twice the Grizzlies rebounded from a game one loss in taking the nightcap and today made it three by scoring one in the first and four in the second for an early 5-0 lead.
The first of the Cougars' season high four errors helped the first tally get on the board, Moran reaching base on a bunt to end up on third via a wild throw to first to score on Lopez' ensuing sac fly.
In the second frame, another error allowed the leadoff to reach followed by Kylie Forney connecting on her sixth home run of the season. A single and two-out hit by pitch extended the inning with Lopez delivering another pair of runs across the plate on triple to left center.
Thatcher's leadoff hit followed by Wood's seventh of the double of the season began the Cougar third inning but needed a two-out base knock from Enslinger to salvage the frame with two runs.
Two-out connections delivered a two-run Butler answer in the ensuing fourth, Moran's leadoff single and stolen base scoring on Cardona's single up the middle. Throwing to the plate in an attempt to get the speedy Moran, Cardona advanced to second on the throw to easily score on Kim Yepez' ensuing double to left field.
Barton also plated two in the home half with two-outs, Bartlett's single advancing to second on a fielding error, being joined by Thatcher's reach via hit batsman and Wood's walk with McDougal's lone hit of the day finding right field to drive in a pair.
Following a scoreless fifth and sixth frame, another two-out Lopez connection delivered Caylee Mann's 1-out hit to close out the scoring.
JAYHAWK WEST
Barton 13-1 19-7
Hutchinson 13-1 19-5
Butler 8-4 15-5
Dodge City 8-6 15-15
Garden City 7-7 15-13
Seward 4-8 10-16
Pratt 4-10 7-17
Colby 3-9 22-13
Hays NW 0-14 0-20
3-22—Barton 5-4, Butler 5-8; Hutchinson 10-10, Dodge City 0-2; Garden City 6-4, Seward 1-5; Colby 13-10-5, North Platte, Neb. 11, 4-4; Pratt 7-7, Hays NW 3-1
3-23—Dodge City at Oklahoma Tonkawa; NE, Colo. at Colby
3-24—Cowley at Pratt
3-26—Barton at Hutchinson; Pratt at Butler; Seward at Dodge City; Colby at Seward
