Cougars rally in 7th for split at Pratt
The Barton County Community College baseball team was looking at its 2nd straight doubleheader of getting swept when the bats came to life just long enough to rally for a win in the final inning Wednesday at Pratt. Pratt won the opener by a 6-1 score and led 2-1 heading into the 7th inning when Barton scored twice for a 3-2 win and a split on the road. Barton is now in 2nd place in the Jayhawk West with an 8-6 record. The Cougars are 20-14 overall. Pratt is 5-7 in the West and 21-11 overall. Barton will host Garden City Saturday in a doubleheader.
Highlights
The Cougars scored as many runs in the final inning of their game Wednesday than they had scored the previous 27 innings of play. Barton, coming of a pair of 1-0 shutout losses at Colby Sunday, scored just 1 in the 1st game and had just 1 run through 6 innings in the second game before stringing hits together for the win.
Barton trailed 2-1 and had one out when the rally began Wednesday. Blake Esfeld started the rally with a single and former Great Bend High School teammate Matt Hafner drove him in with a double off the base of the wall in right field. Hafner went to 3rd on the throw home and the game was tied at 2-all. Barton Coach Mike Warren then call for a squeeze play with leadoff hitter Andrew Giambrone at the plate and Hafner 90 feet from the lead. Giambrone laid down the bunt and Pratt pitcher Chris Rhoads was not able to make a play on the ball, allowing Hafner to score and Giambrone to reach 1st on the error.
The Cougars took that 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 7th where Brendan Bump pitched the inning to pick up his 2nd save of the season. Ronnie Morales earned the win, throwing 6 complete inning and allowed just 2 hits and 2 unearned runs to improve to 1-2.
In the 1st game, the Cougars equaled Pratt in hits with 8 each, but Barton was unable to come up with the big hit at the right time and Pratt did. Barton's lone run came in the 2nd inning when Andrew Giambrone drove in Harrison Harber with a double for a 1-0 lead. Pratt took the lead in the 3rd with a 2-run homer.
Stats
Stats can be found at the Barton County Website at www.bartonccc.edu/sports
Next
Sat., April 10 – v Garden, 1 pm (West doubleheader at Cougar Fields)