The Barton Community College baseball team split today's doubleheader against Hutchinson Community College beginning the four-game series on Friday due to forecasted weather moving through the area. In a pitcher's duel with the No.14 Blue Dragons coming out on top 3-1 in the first game at Lawson-Biggs Field, the nationally receiving votes Cougars strung together two big innings in the nightcap while getting another strong pitching outing to win 9-1 in splitting the day's contest. Barton moves to 8-6 in conference play and 24-10 overall while Hutchinson moves to 13-5 in the Jayhawk and 25-10 on the season. The teams will renew the series on Sunday in a projected 2:00 p.m. first pitch for doubleheader play.
Both pitcher's shut down each other's offense in the opener with the Blue Dragons ace Nolan Hoffman limiting Barton to just four hits while the Cougars' Garret Rogers was also impressive surrendering just five hits in taking a hard luck loss.
Consecutive two-out doubles produced Hutchinson's first run coming in the second inning with the Cougars' committing a costly error on a potential double play ball in the ensuing inning adding to the game winning two additional runs.
Hutchinson turning a double play erasing a leadoff walk proved huge in the end as a Dawson Pomeroy two-out walk would score on Trey Pittman's double.
Barton again made some noise with two-outs in the final inning with Taylor Langston keeping the inning alive with a single up the middle followed by Kaden Fowler's pinch hit walk. Hoffman put the dagger in a potential rally striking out his ninth Cougar in the complete game performance improving to 4-1 on the season. Rogers took the loss dropping to 3-5 on the season despite just giving up one earned run in his six innings of work.
Nolan Hakel led off the Hutchinson second inning with a triple scoring one-out later on Wyatt Divis' sac fly as reigning two-time KJCCC pitcher of the week Jarrett Seaton shut down the Blue Dragon opportunities the rest of the way.
The Cougars went to work in the home half of the third, putting five on the board getting RBI singles from Corrigan Bartlett and Pomeroy before Pittman would drive them both home on a double to left. Pittman would later advance on a passed ball before scoring Barton's fifth run on a wild pitch on a third strike.
After stranding the bases loaded the following inning, Fowler began the fifth with a double but the Cougars were down to their final out before Bryce Baumwart was drilled on a 2-2 pitch. Alan Clark and Michael Sinks then made the Blue Dragons pay with consecutive doubles before Bartlett concluded the four run inning with an RBI single.
Limiting the dangerous Blue Dragons to just four hits through seven innings of work, Seaton improved to 7-0 on the season getting help out of the bullpen for the final two innings from Taylor Langston and Brant Millerborg. David Tudhope took the loss dropping to 3-1 on the year for Hutchinson as Barton pounded out twelve hits against four Blue Dragon pitchers.