The Barton Community College baseball team powered for nine runs in the bottom of the sixth Thursday afternoon earning an 18-8 run-rule sweep over Labette Community College in the opening round of the Plains District Region VI Tournament.
Advancing to the Region's final eight, the Cougars improve to 41-16 overall while the Cardinals have their season conclude at 17-32 overall. Seeded second, Barton will play the 2:00 p.m. Tuesday game at Kansas State University's Tointon Family Stadium against 10th seeded Hutchinson Community College after the Blue Dragons completed a two game sweep over seventh seeded Fort Scott Community College.
Receiving balanced production throughout the lineup highlighted by all nine Cougars recording a hit and RBI, Dryden Howse steered the Barton bats with a 3-for-5 day at the plate driving in a team high four RBIs while Ricardo Sanchez, Henry Hayman, Connor Allen, Jace Stewart and Joel Nieves knocking in a pair each.
Ian Lanik tossed his way to his fifth victory of the season working 4.1-innings out of the bullpen allowing two earned runs, scattering eighth hits, walking two and striking out three improving his record to 5-2 on the year.
Starter Owen Reynolds lasted just 1.2-innings surrendering five hits, five runs and issuing a pair of walks earning a no-decision. Tegan Cain operated a perfect inning of work recording a pair of strikeouts.
Game Recap
Facing a 2-0 deficit coming to the plate in the bottom of the first, leadoff hitter Alex Rodgers created the first of three opening inning runs launching a 0-1 pitch over the center field wall for his fourth round tripper of the year. Sanchez created the second straight hit to open the home first extending his program single season doubles record to 35 as back-to-back walks following to Howse and Allen loaded the bases with the tying run coming home on Shawn Marquis fielder's choice. Caden Bressler capped the three run first inning putting Barton in front stringing the first of his two hit day with a first pitch RBI single.
Answering the call in the top of the second, a trio of two-out RBI singles by the Cardinals put the visitors back in front on the scoreboard 5-3.
Able to trim the margin to one in the second on a Sanchez RBI single knocking in a one-out Rodgers single, the Cougar bats seized the lead for good generating their second crooked inning piecing together four tallies after a scoreless Labette third. A leadoff Marquis hit-by-pitch and Bressler double had the Cougars in business with Stewart collecting his lone hit of the day on a two-RBI single up the middle putting Barton in the lead. Not finished, the Cougars cashed in on a three base Labette error permitting Stewart to score from first with Nieves reaching and advancing to third before coming home on Sanchez sacrifice fly.
Not going away, stringing a one-out single and double Labette cut the lead to 8-6 as Gabe Russell brought in one of his four RBIs on the afternoon with an infield groundout.
Unable to manufacture runs in the fourth and fifth innings, the Cougar offense exploded in the sixth producing seven hits piecing together nine runs. Hayman got the hit parade rolling with his 10th big fly leading off the frame. Nieves delivered the opening two runs of eighth straight coming with two away legging out his third triple of the season. Hayman and Howse added four more runs with back-to-back two-RBI knocks on a double and single. Allen capped the nine-run frame launching a no-doubter to left center for his 10th lone fly of the year.
Looking to close out the contest by run-rule victory, Labette had one final push in the top of the seventh extending the contest into the home seventh as a two-run Zack Trammell brought it back to within nine, 18-9.
In the home seventh, Barton got their 10th two-out RBI with Howse walking it off on an RBI single to center scoring Sanchez two-out single.