The 18th ranked Barton Community College baseball team scored in each of Monday evening's first five innings including a five run second frame to register a 11-1 win over the junior varsity squad of Sterling College at Lawson-Biggs Field. Barton improves to 35-9 on the season heading back into conference play on Thursday as the 18-6 first place Cougars host third place Cloud County Community College (14-10, 24-18) in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader with the back end of the four-game set in Concordia being moved up to Friday from Saturday's originality.
Salina freshman Cade Peters made his second start on the mound for the eventual victory erasing a leadoff reach by error with a strikeout before his defensive middle trio of Isiah Perez and Brett Erickson rolled up a 6-4-3 double play with Jared Maneth stretching out at first to complete the inning ending play.
It took just the second batter of the home half for Barton to take the lead as the first of Kaden Fowler's three hit evening came on the launch of his team leading 11th home run of the season with the drive to center field.
A four-hit second inning resulted in five runs crossing the plate with Brady Michel's leadoff double to left tying Fowler for the team lead on the Great Bend sophomore's 21st of the season. A Tim Bell single and Trenton Ferguson walk would load the bases with ensuing RBIs coming on Perez' walk and Chandler Kelley reaching on a fielder's choice. Erickson added a sacrifice fly with Fowler's single and Maneth's hit by pitch reloading the bags before Brett Bonar's two run single to center capped the inning.
Barton tacked on three more in the third inning with Kelley driving in Ferguson's leadoff single with Fowler completing his three RBI game on a two-run single.
Bonar's 18th double of the season began the fourth, scoring later on Perez' second RBI to push the lead out to 10-0.
Sterling managed a solo run in the ensuing top of the fifth as a one-out double would score following a ground out and a wild pitch.
The Warriors returned the run in the home half as Erickson's leadoff walk moved to third on two wild pitches with Maneth putting the final run on the board with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Peters went four innings to earn the victory improving to 2-0 on the season striking out a career high four against one walk. Austin Taylor and Patrick McClure pitched the fifth and sixth innings striking out two and one respectively with Neil Lemmons striking out two in the final seventh to complete the nine strikeout game for the Cougar hurlers.