WILSON, N.C.-League-leading Limestone College took a pair of fastpitch softball games from host Barton on Friday afternoon at Gillette Park, winning 3-1 in the first game and 9-4 in the second.
The losses left Barton, which was celebrating Senior Day, at 17-23 overall and 3-9 in Conference Carolinas play while Limestone exited at 20-26-1 overall and 11-3 in the league. Barton visits Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C., for a conference doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. and is back home against Coker College on Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Barton took a 1-0 lead in the first game when center fielder Jessica McFadden singled to center, stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Stacy Wade and scored on a single by Kendall Street. The Saints tied it a 1-1 in the top of the fourth on singles by Shelly Brown, Kirstyn Burleson and Taylor Wigmore.
The Saints added another run in the sixth on a single by Brown, a bunt single by Jenna Guse and a run-scoring double by Burleson. Limestone's last run came in the seventh. Kayla Kelley singled, went to second on a groundout and scored on a pinch-hit single by Gabby Nicholson.
Limestone outhit the Lady Bulldogs 9-5. Brown and Burleson led the way with two hits apiece and Shelby Webb (6-7) got the win by pitching no-hit ball over the final three innings. Barton starter Emily Jordan (9-8) took the loss. She scattered nine hits, walked none and fanned three.
Limestone eased out to a 3-0 lead through four innings in the second game, then blew it open with a five-run, seven-hit fifth inning. Burleson brought home a run with a sacrifice fly, Wigmore singled in two runs and Kelley and Nicholson singled home a run apiece in the uprising. Barton reliever Elizabeth Webb faced two batters in relief of starter Kendall Street (5-6) to end the inning.
Facing an early end to the game, the Lady Bulldogs battled back with four runs on three hits and two Saints errors in the bottom of the fifth. Autumn Herrin singled and Holly Cowand and Jordan reached on errors to load the bases. McFadden slapped a single into left field and Wade ripped a two-run double to left-center field. McFadden later raced home on a groundout by Webb.
Hannah Mills singled home Limestone's final run in the top of the seventh.
The Saints posted a 14-4 advantage in hits, paced by two apiece from Mills and Kelley. Leah Quant (7-6) earned the pitching win for Limestone, which got two solid innings of no-hit relief work from Shelby Webb.
Barton seniors McFadden (Wilmington, N.C.), Megan Griffin (Wilson, N.C.) and Cassie Blackmon (Henderson, N.C.) were honored before the doubleheader.
