The Barton Community College baseball team ended a disappointing sixty minute trip south for the weekend, returning home Sunday with its fourth straight conference series split as the Cougars and Pratt Community College split another pair of games to wrap up the four game set. Barton was dominant in game one pounding out fifteen hits and an eight strikeout performance on the mound for a 13-1 victory but couldn't keep the momentum rolling into the nightcap in suffering a 10-5 defeat. The 2-2 weekend leaves the Cougars at 11-9 in conference play and 27-13 overall while Pratt stands at 5-14 in the Jayhawk and 15-23 overall. Barton will step out of conference play for a doubleheader on Tuesday as the Cougars welcome the junior varsity of Bethany College in a 4:00 p.m. first pitch at Lawson-Biggs Field.
Mason Hiser was masterful in game one scattering six hits in his seven innings while striking out eight with no walks as the sophomore improved to 5-2 on the season.
All nine Cougars connected for at least one hit in the opener with Michael Sinks leading the fifteen hit attack going 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot including launching his team leading seventh home run of the season to begin the fifth inning. Following Sinks in the lineup was Corrigan Bartlett and Dawson Pomeroy as each had multi-hit performances with Pomeroy's first inning single driving in two of his game high three runs batted in. Kaden Fowler connected on two doubles for his two hits with Taylor Langston right behind in the lineup with two hits as well.
Barton's three first inning runs were all Hiser would need for the victory but the Cougars scored in four of the next six innings including a five run seventh inning to put the game far out of reach.
The Cougars carried the momentum into the series finale scoring three in their first at-bat for the second time of the day. Sinks got things rolling with a leadoff walk then swiped his eleventh bag of year before Bartlett joined him on the base paths drawing a second consecutive walk. Pomeroy then launched his fourth homerun of the season driving in the freshman's 28th RBI.
Pratt countered in the home half getting a leadoff walk and consecutive singles before a one-out single plated two more despite Andrew Repp striking out three in the inning.
The second of four Barton errors in the game came with one out in the fourth as a single and home run followed giving Pratt a 6-3 lead.
Two more Cougar errors opened up the fifth as Pratt would plate three more runs building the lead out to seven runs.
Barton would grab a run on Pratt's lone error with two outs in the sixth and a bases loaded walk in the ninth but the Cougars were unable to capitalize on the no out situation going down on a foul pop up and two strikeouts to end the game.
Repp took the loss dropping to 3-2 on the season.