The Barton Community College baseball team pounded Hesston College for seven first inning runs Tuesday evening in Hesston coasting the rest of the way for a 10-0 non-conference victory. Winning 14-2 earlier in the season in Great Bend, the victory was the second time this season the Cougars put away the Larks in a game shortened seven innings. The win improved Barton to 25-20 on the season dropping Hesston to 14-33. The Cougars return to conference action this weekend heading to Liberal in facing Seward County Community College in a four-game series with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch slated for both Saturday and Sunday's doubleheader.
Barton's seven run first inning came with seven of the Cougars' ten hits in the contest. Drake Bliss got both of his hits in the big inning leading off with a double and later delivering a two-out single. Batting in the two spot Michael Sinks, who led the Cougars with a 3-for-4 performance, bookend his two of four runs batted in driving home Bliss for the first score before singling in Dakota Nave for the final run of the inning.
The Cougars also produced runs in the inning from Corrigan Bartlett's sacrifice, a two-RBI triple by Cole Henley, a Trey Pittman groundout, and a single from Nave coming at the bottom of the lineup.
A Pittman walk and consecutive hit by pitches to Matthew Baca and Nave loaded the Barton base paths leading off the third inning but a Sinks sacrifice fly was all the Cougars could get in pushing the lead to eight.
Two more hit by pitches would put Bartlett and Henley on the paths with one out before Baca delivered a two-out single down the line giving the Cougars a nine run lead.
Avery Riedmiller controlled the Larks for four innings earning his first collegiate win (1-0) scattering four hits, striking out one, and not allowing a free pass.
The Barton bats went silent beginning in the fifth with consecutive three-up three-down innings. Pittman got the Cougars back on track leading off the seventh with a single scoring later on Sinks' third hit and fourth RBI of the game coming on a double to right field.
Ben Wright and Brant Millerborg controlled the final three innings shutting down the Larks to no hits while striking out three of the ten batters faced.