Offense struggles as Cougars drop twinbills to Pratt, Garden 
The Barton County Community College baseball team has hit one of those stretches that happen during a season where scoring runs are tough. For the Cougars in their last couple of Jayhawk West outings, scoring has been at a premium. The Cougars have scored just 4 runs in the past 4 contests, resulting in a 4-game losing skid. In Great Bend Tuesday, Barton lost twice to West front runner Garden City, 4-0 and 3-2. The games were originally slated for Sunday but wet conditions moved the contest back. Saturday in Pratt, the Cougars dropped a pair of game, scoring just 2 runs the entire day. Barton lost 3-1 and 4-1 and are now 19-18 for the season and 11-11 in the West. Garden improved to 28-9 and 13-5.

Highlights
The Cougars finally broke their scoring drought for the day in the bottom of the 5th of the nightcap. By then Garden had built a 3-0 lead. Barton's Andrew Giambrone scored the Cougars initial run on an error and later in the inning Chris Evans singled in Andrew Small.

Garden only had 3 hits in the game as well as Ryan Simon, Chad Lee, and Mike McDonald combined to limit Garden City on the mound. But an error and wild pitch in the 5th allowed Garden two big runs that proved to be the difference in the game.

In the opener, Barton was shutout by the 6-0 margin. Garden took the lead with an unearned run off start Ronnie Morales in the top of the 1st and never looked. The Broncbusters rode a strong pitching effort from Aaron Breit, who tossed the 3-hit shutout.

Morales threw well in the loss, giving up 4 earned runs and allowing 8 hits. Morales struck out four and walked three.

The Cougars and Beavers hooked up in a pitching duel at Stanion Field in Pratt Saturday in the opener with just a combined 7 hits in the contest. Barton mustered only 3 hits in the 3-1 setback. Barton's Justin Randa and Nate Smith combined to allow just 4 to the Beavers, but Pratt scored twice in the bottom of for the win. Andrew Giambrone had two of the Cougars three hits.

Things were much better in the nightcap as the Cougars collected only 5 hits in the 4-1 loss. Pratt scored just 1 earned run in the win as Barton's Brock Nehls and Chad Lee allowed just 7 hits and the 1 earned run on the mound but single runs by Pratt in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th were the difference.

Stats
Complete stats can be found at www.bartonccc.edu

Next
Thurs., April 14 – v Friends JV, 4 pm (non conference contest at Lawson Field)