Barton lets sweep get away; brings home split from Butler
The Barton County Community College baseball team was on the verge of a sweep and a possible spot in the top four of the Jayhawk West Sunday afternoon at McDonald Park in El Dorado. But the Cougars watched Butler County score 3 times in the bottom of the 7th of the nightcap to win the 2nd game and salvage a split with the Cougars. Barton won the opener in 11 innings by a 6-2 score then fell 5-4 in the 2nd game to end its West season at 17-15 and in 5th place. Barton is 27-22 overall. Butler, currently the 4th place team, is 17-11 in the West and 27-21 overall.
Highlights
Barton's Ronnie Morales and Butler's Mickey Lara hooked up in a pitching duel in the opener. Barton took a 1-0 lead in the game when 5th when an Andrew Giambrone bunt scored Eric Whinery. But the Grizzlies tied it in the bottom of the 5th on an RBI single. The Cougars made it 2-1 in the 6th inning when Wade Gubbels singled in Andrew Small. That is where the game stayed until the bottom of the 7th when a Barton error to start the inning eventually tallied a Grizzly run to even it at 2-all. Neither team scored until the 11th when Barton exploded for 4 runs.
Gubbels started the inning with a double and Tino McFerran and Michael Stettinger joined him on the base paths with a hit batsman and walk. McFerran scored on a fielder's choice before Jordan Bruns delivered the big blow in the inning – a bases loaded double to score two. Barton added another run on a Giambrone single for a 6-2 lead, which was more than enough for Logan Smith, who pitched the final inning. Brock Nehls picked up the win in relief, going 3 scoreless and hitless innings of relief, striking out 4 in the process.
The 2nd game saw two more good pitching efforts as Barton' Mike McDonald and Butler's Dustin Koca did battle. The teams each put up a digit in the opening inning as Barton's drew a leadoff walk, balked to 2nd, was sacrificed to 3rd by Brent Biggs and scored on a ground out by Chris Evans. Butler collected a single and double in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. Barton took a 3-1 lead in the 4th as Whinery singled in Bruns and Troy Morgan then made it 4-1 in the 5th on an Small singled that scored Giambrone.
The Grizzlies cut it 4-2 heading into the final inning but the Cougars appeared in good shape as McDonald retired two straight batters after a Barton error allowed the Grizzlies leadoff batter aboard. But with two outs and one on, McDonald walked the next batter then watched as hit pitch to Eric Beck left the ball park for a 3-run homer and the win for Butler, 5-4. McDonald was the hard-luck loser with the 3 unearned runs in the 7th, giving up 8 hits in his 6 2/3 innings of work.
Stats
Complete stats can be found at www.bartonccc.edu
Next
Thurs., April 29 – v Cowley, 6 pm (Non conference single 9-inning game at Lawson Field)