The Barton Community College baseball team dropped a pair of conference games Thursday in Liberal as the host Saints of Seward County Community College dealt a 2-0 and 4-2 victory over the 20th ranked Cougars.
The teams combined for just five hits in the opener with each managing just eight in the nightcap as offenses were held in check throughout the sixteen inning doubleheader.
Despite the losses Barton remains in a first place West tie with Hutchinson at 9-5, dropping to 20-9 on the year while Seward County moves into fifth place tie at 8-6 and 16-14. Due to weather rolling through the area, the series finale shifts to Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch at Lawson-Biggs Field.
Saints hurler Tanner King kept the Cougars in check for the seven inning game one victory, throwing a perfect game into the fifth inning until walking Carson Zenger with one out. The Barton rally would be short lived three pitches later as the Cougars lined into a double play to end the inning.
Adam Schrag and Noah Geekie were the only two hits against King, each coming consecutively with one-out in the seventh to make some noise but a double play would keep the slate clean for the Saints in the win.
Zach Curry took the hard luck loss dropping to 3-2 on the year despite scattering just three hits in the two run defeat.
A walk and hit by pitch in the Saints' home half of the second inning set up their first run, scoring after a sac bunt and sacrifice fly. Two of the Saints' lone three hits provided the insurance run coming in the sixth with a leadoff single scoring on a two-out double.
In the back end of the doubleheader, another Saints two-out hit put the hosts on the board first, stringing a walk and single together before a two-out hit drove in the run.
The first of two Barton errors opened the door for another Saints run in fourth, putting the runner on to leadoff off the frame to later cross the plate following a sac bunt and single up the middle.
With the Saints pushing two runs across the plate with two outs on the day, the fifth inning was the Cougars' time to produce a big hit as Geekie drove the tying runs off an 0-2 pitch double to center. The inning was set up with Trenton Ferguson getting hit by a pitch with one-out and Andrew Stewart driving a 2-0 pitch to left extending the inning.
Easton Smith went the first six innings on the hill with five strikeouts, giving way to Coleton Crisp for the final two frames.
A Saints home run with one-out in Crisp's stint provided the game winner dropping the freshman to 1-2 on the year, tacking on an insurance run in the eighth on a one-out double followed by an RBI single.
Barton matched the Saints' eight hits in game two with Geekie leading the Cougars with three in batting .571 on the day (4-of-7).