The Barton Community College baseball team collected twenty-two runs on twenty hits in route to their second consecutive road series victory taking two-of-three over the weekend at Rose State College. The Cougars claimed the series opener on Friday breezing to a 14-4 margin while clinching the series win in game one on Saturday 8-0 before falling to the Raiders in the series finale 9-5.
The nationally receiving vote Cougars improve their mark to 5-2 on the young season while the Raiders dip to 2-5 overall. Barton will conclude their eight game road trip on Wednesday at Hesston College before hosting their home opening series on Friday and Saturday against Western Nebraska Community College.
Friday
Trailing 1-0 after three-innings, the Barton bats awoke in the fourth inning as Freshman Carson Pracht launched an 0-2 pitch over the right field fence for his first collegiate home run giving Barton the lead for good 2-1.
A five run frenzy in the fifth expanded the Cougar lead to 7-1 as Alex Rodgers came across on a passed ball, Connor Scott drove home a pair with a single to left followed by RBI singles from Noah Geekie and Noah Rheinheimer.
Rose State would threat in the home half following a lead off single and Cougar fielding error put a pair of Raiders on the bases with no outs until the Cougars dialed up an inning ending triple-play halting the scoring threat.
A pair of Cougar miscues in the home half of the sixth gave the Raiders some life as the home squad trimmed the Barton lead to 7-4. Barton answered back in the seventh as Pracht continued his strong day at the dish driving in his third RBI of the game on a single followed later on Micah Grover's bases loaded RBI walk stretching the lead back to five.
Barton would put the game out of reach with three in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Starting hurler Graham Brunner (1-0) tossed five innings of work striking out four allowing four runs, one earned on three hits and walked one. Clay Wesbrooks notched a save in the effort working out of a jam in the sixth tossing four scoreless innings striking out five in the relief appearance.
Four Cougars finished with multi RBI's, highlighted by Rheinheimer's four RBI performance. Pracht drove in three following behind were Scott and Geekie each with a pair.
Saturday Game 1:
Looking to secure the weekend series, Barton grasped momentum in the second as Peyla and Geekie opened the inning drawing back-to-back walks before one of three Raider errors in the contest proved to be costly as Pracht reached allowing Peyla to score the contests first run. A pair of RBI singles from Cooper Allen and Rheinheimer grew the Barton lead to four before an Andrew Stewart sacrifice fly concluded the five run fury.
Barton would load the bases in the top of the third with back-to-back lead off singles from Geekie and Pracht, and a Grover base on balls. The Cougars would add to the lead as Geekie came across on the Raiders second error of the contest. Pracht and Grover would account for the final two runs expanding the Cougar lead to 8-0 following Alex Rodgers fielder's choice.
Starter Easton Young took control on the hill for the Cougars striking out the Raiders side in the second and third inning tallying seven punchouts through the first three frames. The sophomore ace improved his mark to 2-0 on the year tossing six shutout innings, allow three hits, fanning nine Raiders and walking two.
Geekie led the Barton offense accounting for the lone multi-hit performance going 2-for-3, drawing a walk and crossing the plate twice.
Saturday Game 2:
A one-out error in the top of the fourth put the Raiders up early in game two with the big inning coming in the sixth as Rose State accounted for a six spot putting Barton in a 6-2 hole. The Cougars would claw back to within 9-5 following a three-run home run by Stewart his second on the season.
Geekie took his first loss of the season dropping to 1-1 on the season.