The Barton Community College baseball team ran its win streak to six straight games with a doubleheader sweep at Cloud County Community College Saturday in Concordia, Kansas. The Cougars jumped out to a ten run lead through the first five innings of game one to win 10-6 then came from behind with a six run fifth while tacking on another three in the seventh to win game two 12-8. The pair of victories improves Barton to 6-4 in Jayhawk play and 13-8-1 overall while dropping Cloud to 1-5 in conference play and 3-14 overall. The teams wrap up the four-game series on Sunday with first pitch scheduled 2:00 p.m. at the Concordia Sports Complex.
Barton methodically built a ten run lead through the first five runs of game one. Scoring three in the second and fifth innings, the Cougars sandwiched a pair of two-run innings in the third and fourth. Cloud managed to score five in the fifth to cut the deficit in half as the Cougars committed two infield errors, then added one more with two outs in the sixth.
Evan McDonald and Kyle Cromwell, the eighth and ninth batters in the Barton lineup, sparked the Cougar offense in game one going a combined 6-8 and scoring four runs. McDonald had two hits in the game including a second inning RBI single while Cromwell went 4-4 with two doubles. Scott Tyler was the big bat out of the three hole going 3-5 with a double and two RBI's as the Cougars outhit Cloud 16-8.
Brandon Mercer pitched 4.2 innings to improve to 3-3 on the season giving up six hits and striking out four. Cloud did score five runs on the sophomore hurler in the fifth inning as all were unearned runs. Alex Evans came in for relief the final 2.1 innings of two-hit pitching giving up one run while striking out two.
Tyler and Braxon Byfield followed a one-out Trevor Turner double to center to get Barton started in the first inning of game two the Cougars would put up a two spot in the inning. The T-birds answered with one in the home half but Barton would get the run back in the third as Tyler doubled to left to later score on a Grant Watkins sacrifice.
Cloud would take their first and only lead of the doubleheader in the fourth inning scoring four runs, three coming on Zane's one-out bases clearing triple to center.
Barton responded in the fifth as Tyler set the stage with a two-run homerun to right field as the Cougars would score six runs in the inning to take a 9-5 lead. Jace Bowman contributed an RBI double as Cherryholmes, McDonald, and Richardson each had RBI singles.
Cloud County would cut the deficit to 9-8 after the sixth, getting a single run in the fifth and and a pair of runs in the sixth.
Barton pushed its lead back out to four in the seventh with the big blow coming from Tyler with a two-out two RBI double to right field. Going 5-5 in nightcap, Tyler had a big day overall going 8-10 with five RBIs.
Michael Turner benefitted from the Cougar offense to improved to 3-1 on the season going 5.0 innings giving up eight hits and four earned runs while striking out three. Craig Hamil pitched a solid two innings of no-hit relief while Tanner Shoemaker closed out the ninth with two strikeouts.