Cougars find long ball in Sunday sweep, split weekend series at MCC-Longview

Not normally a long ball hitting team, the Barton Community College baseball team blasted five homeruns in sweeping Sunday's doubleheader at MCC-Longview in Lee's Summit, Missouri.  Barton went deep four times in the opener to win 11-7 then used solid pitching in the nightcap to win 11-2.  The victories erased the memories of the Lakers' 9-0 and 13-8 sweep on Saturday as MCC-Longview held the Cougars to one hit in the opener before outscoring Barton in the nightcap 13-8.  Barton exits Missouri at 13-14 on the season while MCC-Longview ends the weekend at 11-12.   The Cougars will remain out of conference play for a Tuesday 5:00 p.m. nine inning game hosting the junior varsity squad from Kansas Wesleyan University before next weekend's conference series at Lawson-Biggs Field versus Dodge City Community College.  

Jacob Richardson, who scored in the first inning, lead off the third inning with his first collegiate homerun reclaiming the Barton lead 2-1.  The Cougars would plate five more as Lance White drove in a run while Trevor Hughes drove home another on a double.  Bryce Minor put the cap on the inning blasting his second homerun of the season with a two-run shot to left field pushing the lead out to 7-1. 

Following a single Barton starter Xaiver Sundman kept the Laker batters off stride most of his five innings of work but ran into trouble in bottom of third, escaping with a strikeout and a bases loaded inning ending 6-4-3 double play.

Richardson led off the fourth with a walk, advancing to third on an error, and scored on Evan McDonald's groundout giving Barton a seven run advantage.  Matt Safranek, who hit two home runs in Saturday's 9-0 win, opened the home half with a centerfield home run spurring a four run Laker inning.  Two doubles and another home run, a two-out two-run long ball by Dustin Hargus closed the gap to 8-5.

Getting another Cougar leadoff homerun, White opened the fifth with his second long ball of the weekend and fifth of the season.  Two outs later Dayton Pomeroy joined Richardson in breaking the seal by getting his first collegiate homerun with a solo shot to right field giving Barton a 10-5 lead.

MCC-Longview played long ball again in the sixth with Cole Distler's one-out two-run homerun to make things interesting but Minor's one-out single to center in the seventh gave Barton a four run cushion.

Not wanting to take any chances, Barton Head Coach Brent Biggs brought in trusty right hand pitcher Alexander Evans who closed the door with two strikeouts to help Sundman win his first game of his young pitching career.

Despite being outhit 14-11, all nine Cougars had at least one hit in the game led by Minor's 2-for-3 and White's 2-for-4 performance as each drove in two runs.

Hitting eight homeruns in the previous three games, MCC-Longview made it number nine as Ethan Howser hit his second of the weekend with a two-out two-run first inning home run giving the Lakers their only runs of the nightcap.

Grant Watkins cut the deficit in half with his first of two doubles in the game driving home White with one out.

The Cougars broke the game open in the sixth getting five runs before tacking on three more in the seventh and single runs in the eighth and ninth.  Minor RBI single and Trevor Turner two-out single keyed the five run sixth while Hughes blast his first home run of the season with a drive to center for three runs in the seventh. 

Richardson led off the eighth with a single coming home on a Turner sac fly and Minor's bases loaded hit by pitch with bases loaded closed out the Barton scoring in the ninth.

Jackson Rose led a four pitcher performance going six innings of four-hit ball while striking out nine improving to 3-0 on the season.  

Seven Cougars came through with a hit led by Hughes' 2-for-4 three RBI game.  Watkins went 2-of-5 with his two doubles and Minor's 1-for-3 at bats drove in three.  Turner, who was 1-for-5, drove in two runs while Richardson drove in a single run.