Scoring twelve runs in three innings the No. 13 ranked Barton Community College baseball rolled to 16-2 non-conference victory over the reserve squad from McPherson College. The Cougars led by just three going into the fifth of the scheduled nine innings to plate seven in the frame before tacking on another four in the sixth to put away the Bulldogs in a shortened seven innings on a soggy cool afternoon at Lawson-Biggs Field. The victory improves Barton to 24-6 on the year while McPherson drops to 1-7 on the reserve's season. The Cougars return to conference play with a Thursday trip to Pratt Community College before wrapping up the series on Saturday at L-B Field. First pitch for both Thursday and Saturday's doubleheaders slated for 1:00 p.m.
Making his first collegiate appearance, Cade Peters would get the win on the hill but the Bulldogs jumped on the Salina freshman lacing the first two pitches for a single and RBI double. Peters would settle in from there getting the next two outs but an infield error allowed the second and last McPherson run to cross the plate. After recording his first collegiate strikeout to begin the second, Peters' lone given up hit would follow but the Cougar defense rose to the occasion rolling up a 5-4-3 (Isiah Perez-Tim Bell-Jared Maneth) double-play to end the inning. Peters closed out this remaining two innings with two more strike outs without a walk while scattering four hits.
On the offensive side, the Cougars got back the runs in the home half with Harrison Denk leading off with a walk and Maneth connecting for his ninth double of the year. Brady Michel then knocked them both home with a two RBI single, scoring one pitch later as Bell drove his second triple of the year to the fence in left center.
A solo run for the Cougars would hit the scoreboard in the second as Clay Lockett connected on the first of his three hits on the afternoon then took second for his first collegiate stolen base in ending at third on an error. Denk, who also had three hits on the day to go along with three RBIs, would plate Lockett on a deep fly to center. Denk drove in his second run on his first hit coming in the fourth inning to score Perez who had reached on one of five Bulldog errors.
Bonar's fourteenth double of the year keyed the Cougars' big seven run fifth inning as Brady Michel wore the badge of honor with both scoring on Bell's roped double to left field. The two runs chased starting Bulldog pitcher Javier Saenz but things got even worse for the visiting the squad as a Ferguson walk, two passed balls allowing Bell to score, and another walk putting Perez on the paths issued another call to the bullpen.
Lockett singled to load the bases with Denk advancing everyone with an RBI single to short right center. Making just his sixth plate appearance, Braden Carpenter drew a walk to push home the Littleton, Colorado, natives' first collegiate RBI with a booted Bonar groundball pushing across two more for a 12-2 lead.
Luke Royle's one out walk and Perez' second time reaching on error led to more runs with Lockett's single plating one of the four runs in the sixth inning. Denk's third hit scooted past the Bulldog left fielder to score Perez and one out later, Maneth drove in the final two runs on a single up the middle.
Austin Taylor pitched a near perfect fifth inning with a strikeout to follow Peters, with Neil Lemmons closing out the final two frames with four strikeouts giving the pitching staff a final line of five hits and eight strikeouts.