The Barton Community College baseball team stormed from behind Thursday at Lawson-Biggs Field in chalking up a needed sweep over Butler Community College 4-1 and 6-5.
Snapping a three game conference losing streak, Barton improves to 15-11 in the Jayhawk West and 29-15 overall while dropping Butler to 12-10 and 26-17 on the year. The back end of the four game series resumes at 1:00 p.m. Saturday in El Dorado at McDonald Stadium.
Zach Curry once again put the Cougars on his back in the opener, throwing a complete game five hitter in striking out four improving to 5-2 on the year.
The Grizzlies' lone run came in the second inning as an infield error allowed a one-out double to score.
A fifth inning single sandwiched between two walks help set up Barton's comeback as one batter later Andrew Stewart delivered the big hit pushing two across the plate with Nolan Riley's second hit of the contest driving in two more with two-outs building the lead out to the eventual 4-1 victory.
Butler took the early edge in the nightcap with leadoff Patrick Bethea getting into scoring position following a single by swiping second base as an error on the play resulted in another ninety feet advanced before a one-out groundout.
The Grizzlies added four more runs in the fourth inning with run producing two-out RBI singles.
Butler seemingly had a safe five run lead to the eighth inning before the Cougars' grind at the plate and catching a few breaks the baseball gods owed them led to the scoreboard leader change.
A leadoff Tyler Bandiera single and Braden Carpenter hit-by-pitch began the frame with Chandler Kelley lacing a double to right in getting Barton on the board. Following Stewart's sac fly, Noah Geekie's single cut the deficit to two before being joined on the base paths by Harrison Denk after getting hit by a 2-0 pitch.
Down to their final out, Chandler Bloomer came thru with the big hit slicing a shot down the left field line. Having advanced ninety-feet on a wild pitch prior, Geekie and Denk sped around the bases scoring the tying runs. Meanwhile, heading into second on a fielding misplay, Bloomer kept rolling around the bags on the ensuing high throw into the second base bag ending up near the Butler bullpen down the right field line allowing his winning run slide across the plate in beating out the throw.
Jacob Ensz, who relieved starter Easton Smith in the sixth, gave up just one hit while striking out three before turning the ball over to Coleton Crisp for the ninth. Striking out the first batter, the second reached on a dropped third strike throwing error to first but Crisp induced consecutive fielder's choice grounders to protect the victory.
Ensz' solid relief effort earned the victory improving to 2-2 on the year with Crisp nailing down his second save.
