The Barton Community College baseball team stepped out of conference play Tuesday night taking care of the junior varsity squad from Kansas Wesleyan University 14-3 in a game shortened seven innings. After a first inning Coyote two run blast left Lawson-Biggs Field, the Cougars responded with eight unanswered and scored in each inning cruising to the victory improving to 14-14 on the season. The Cougars, 6-6 in conference play, return to Jayhawk West play this weekend against the 10-6 and 19-7 Dodge City Community College conquistadors. First pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Lawson-Biggs field for both Saturday and Sunday's doubleheader.
A.J. Kissinger gave the Coyotes the early lead driving a 2-2 one-out pitch from Barton starter Kade Parker over the right field fence. Parker limited the Coyotes to one other hit in his two innings of work striking out two in earning his first victory of the season.
Nine of the ten Cougars seeing action at the plate got a hit as Barton pounded out thirteen hits while five Barton pitchers limited the Coyotes to only six. Leading the charge was the bottom of the lineup going 8-for-14 including the 3-for-4 performance by number nine hitter Xaiver Sundman. Getting the start on the hot corner, Austin Hall preceded Sundman with a 2-for-4 game including driving in his first collegiate run with a single in the fourth inning.
Getting things started early at the top of the lineup, Jacob Richardson led off with the first of his two walks scoring two batters later on the first of three runs batted in by Evan McDonald. Barton would tack on three more runs getting walks by Bryce Minor and Grant Watkins, a sacrifice fly by Dayton Pomeroy, and a Tyler Jennings single. Jennings would also help spur a three run third innings leadoff the inning with his second hit of the game, a double to right field.
Barton got a second consecutive big inning as Sundman led off with a single followed by a Richardson walk to set up Trevor Turner's lone hit of the game, a two-run triple to right field. After a McDonald groundout to score Turner, Minor doubled to right and following a wild pitch and walk by Watkins, stole home as Watkins got tied up in a run-down on a first base pick-off play.
The Coyotes picked up their third and final run in the top of the third as reliever Josh Farrington took over on the mound. Farrington induced consecutive groundouts to shortstop but Kissinger kept the inning alive with a single to left scoring one batter later as Michael Price drove him home with a double to left field.
A Pomeroy double set up the Cougars lone run in the fourth, advancing to third on passed ball, and then trotting home on Hall's RBI.
Turner became the fifth Cougar to get on board leading off an inning drawing a four pitch walk to begin the fifth. A wild pitch and a McDonald groundout, Minor drove in his lone run of the game with a sacrifice fly.
Jennings kept the Cougars perfect on the night getting the leadoff batter on, drawing a walk before stealing second base setting up Sundman's lone RBI coming on a single to right field.