Cougars split West opening series with Hutch

Cougars split West opening series with Hutch
The Barton Community College baseball team rallied for a sweep of Hutchinson Tuesday afternoon in Hutchinson after dropping in the opening two games of the Jayhawk West series. Barton lost two in Hays Sunday then won the pair in Hutch to split the series at 2 games apiece. The series was the opening of the Jayhawk West season. Barton is now 7-4 overall while Hutch is 6-3. Barton is at home against Pratt this weekend. Both games at Lawson-Biggs Field start at 1 pm.

Highlights
Barton lost a pair in Hays on Sunday as weather conditions moved the venue for the opening two games. Hutch rolled to a 10-0 win the opener before earning a close 4-3 win in the nightcap. After taking Monday off due to weather, the two teams moved to Hobart-Detter Field in Hutch for two Tuesday, which Barton won 7-5 and 3-2 in 10 innings.

In the opening game of the series, Hutch turned a close into a run-rule with 6 run in the final inning. In fact the game was tied 0-0 heading into the bottom of the 4th when Hutch scored a single run then added 3 more in the 5th. The 6 in the bottom of the 6th ended the contest. Barton managed just 5 hits in the loss. The Cougars battled with the Blue Dragons in the 2nd game of the twinbill before coming up just short in the loss. Barton led briefly at 1-0 in the top of the 1st when Jordan Slade doubled and scored to lead off the inning. Hutch, though, scored twice in the 3rd and added single runs in the 5th and 6th to take a 4-1 lead. Barton plated a pair in the 7th to cut the lead to 4-3. Hugo Hernandez singled in Brandon Hoefler and Dominic Fazio. That would be as close as the Cougars would get in the 9-inning contest.

The Cougars bounced back two days later in Hutchinson for the sweep. The teams traded a 4-spot on the opening inning Mitch Slauter drove in two for the Cougars in the inning. Michael Tennessen and Michael Edlefsen each drove in a run as well. After giving up 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st, Barton retook the lead at 6-4 with two in the 5th. Ryan Busboom drove in Slauter and Hernandez with a single. Barton made it 7-4 the following inning. Cory Sager walked and later scored on a Slade single. That was enough for starter Ben French, who overcome the tough 1st inning to go 5 innings allowing just 4 hits for the win. Robbie Van Cour picked up the save.

The Cougars earned a split in the series with an extra inning win in the finale. Barton scored two in the 3rd to take a 2-0 lead. Slade led off the inning with a hit by pitch and scored on a single from freshman Levi Schlick. Busboom later drove in Slauter for the 2-0 advantage. It stayed that way until the bottom of the 9th as Barton freshman Taylor Davis took a no-hit effort into the 7th inning.

After seeing its 2-0 lead disappear in the last of the 9th, Barton bounced back with a run in the top of the 10th. Hernandez reached on an error to start the inning and scored on a Slauter double that eventually became the winning run.

Stats
Stats can be found at www.bartonccc.edlu/sports

Next
March 6-7 – v Pratt, 1 pm (West series at Lawson-Biggs Field at Great Bend)