Salvaging yesterday's doubleheader with the split, the 17th ranked Barton Community College baseball team went back to work Friday in Concordia scoring twenty-two runs in pinning a sweep on host Cloud County Community College. The Cougars plated a pair of four-run innings to win the opener 9-3 then scored in five straight innings to end the nightcap in a run ruled shortened 13-2 victory. The sweep secured Barton's seventh straight 3-1 series victory keeping the first place Cougars three games ahead in the conference standings at 21-7 and 38-10 while Cloud County sees their bid to host a first round game hampered in slipping to 15-13 and 25-21.
The Cougars will have the next few days away from the diamond before preparing for the final conference series of the season against second place Butler Community College (18-10, 30-15). The series will begin Thursday with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch doubleheader in El Dorado with the back end of the series played Saturday at Lawson-Biggs Field in the regular season finale.
Game 1 Recap
A leadoff walk with a pair of singles and a double gave Cloud County a first frame two run lead, tacking on another in the second inning on a one-out double and triple.
Chandler Kelley pumped a little life into the Barton dugout in the third, driving a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall for the Maize freshman's third home run of the season
Earning the eventual win improving to 5-0 on the year, Ottawa freshman Zach Curry escaped a one-out double and reach on error getting help from the defense rolling up a 5-4-3 (Dawson Pomeroy-Brett Erickson-Carson Engroff) double play.
The Cougars broke open the game with a pair of four-run innings as Pomeroy drove in two in each frame, the first pair coming on a left field single to score walks by Brett Bonar and Erickson. Paul Claassen accounted for the next two runs of the fourth, driving in Pomeroy with a single before advancing around the base path on the throw to the plate and two balks.
Kaden Fowler earned a 9-pitch walk to begin the fifth, advancing to second on the T-Birds' third balk of game. Bonar followed with RBI single with Brady Michel chasing starting pitcher Austen Seidel with a single putting Cougars at the corners.
Erickson kept the line moving with an RBI single as Pomeroy drove in two more for his fourth and 30th RBI of year widening Barton's lead to 9-3.
Cloud County threatened in the fifth and sixth behind a double in each frame but Curry escaped both innings protecting the six run lead. Lifted after a leadoff single in the seventh, Casey Wulfkuhle induced a slow roller with the Cougars rolling up a 4-6-3 (Erickson-Claassen-Engroff) double play to clean the bases as a mid-depth fly out ended the game for the 9-3 win.
Game Two Recap
For the fourth straight game, Cloud County took the first lead as a pair of singles advancing on an error proved costly as a ground out put the T-Birds out front.
Barton stranded two-out walks by Erickson and Pomeroy with the duo in the home half rolling up the first part of a 5-4-3 double play to turn the Cougars' third double play of the day.
A big third inning proved to be the difference as the lead quickly flip-flopped on consecutive long balls by Claassen and Denk for each's second home run of the year. Three batters later the left field fence could not hold the third Cougar deep fly as Bonar pulled a Denk imitation and went opposite field for a 3-run shot on the Rose Hill sophomore's 10th of the year to drive in Fowler from a walk and Engroff's single for his team leading 56th RBI of the year. Michel reset the bases joining Fowler for the team lead in doubles with 23 on the year but the Cougars stranded runners at the corners as Jared Maneth drew a two-out walk.
The Cougars tacked on three more in the fourth as Fowler reached on a hit by pitch and Engroff following with a single, setting up Michel's two runs batted in coming across the plate on a single as a Cloud County error would eventually allow Michel to score.
A solo run in the fourth stopped an eight run unanswered streak as a leadoff walk would score on a one-out base hit.
Barton answered the solo run with a two-out rally, getting a Denk single and Fowler walk, with Engroff delivering his third hit in driving in the RBI.
Three runs crossed the dish in the sixth as Michel's walk would eventually score on a wild pitch, Pomeroy's drawn walk scoring on Maneth's fielder's choice, and Claassen driving in Pomeroy on a single. Maneth became the third run to cross as Denk hustled out a potential double play extending the inning.
Erickson collected his first hit of the nightcap in the seventh inning, driving in Engroff giving Barton runs on the board for the fifth straight inning. The damage was on the verge of being worse as Michel's single and Pomeroy's third walk of the game loaded the bases but the Cougars had to settle for just the one run.
Nolan Riley went six innings in scattering six hits and striking out six as the Augusta freshman improved to 2-0 on the season. Overland Park freshman Tanner Howe closed out the seventh sending the T-Birds down in order including on two strikeouts.
Michel continued his tear on Cloud County pitching going 4-of-6 on the day to finish at .500 for the four game series. Bonar and Pomeroy led with four runs batted in each.
While the offense was producing twenty-one hits in the twin bill, the pitching staff also had a solid day getting quality starts from Curry and Riley scattering fourteen hits with Wulfkuhle and Howe pitching perfect final innings to preserve the victories.