Having their 13-game win streak snapped in a 19-14 shootout in game one of Thursday's doubleheader at Colby Community College, the 18th ranked Barton Community College baseball team salvaged the day in by run-ruling the Trojans in game two's seventh inning 12-1 victory.
The split keeps the Cougars alone atop the Jayhawk West standings at 5-1, improving to 19-3 on the year, with Colby in a conference .500 third place log jam at 3-3 and 11-11 on the season.
Due to the NJCAA and KJCCC suspension of play until April 3rd caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, Barton's next scheduled game at this point of time is Saturday, April 4, hosting Seward County Community College.
Game One Recap
The day started about as good as anyone could dream of as the Cougars pounded out ten hits putting eleven runs on the board in their first at-bat. The big inning was highlighted by leadoff batter Alex Rodgers' second hit of the inning driving in two before Carson Pracht capped the frame on a three-run home run.
With unblemished Clay Wesbrooks on the mound, the future looked even brighter but a strong wind blowing out to right field and the Trojans taking advantage of it chipped away during his three innings of work.
The Trojans began their climb back in the home half of the first inning, stringing three consecutive hits together including a two-run home run put three runs on the board as another two-run fence clearer in the second frame cut Barton's lead to 11-5.
Pracht's second long ball to lead off the fourth got one of the runs back but the Trojans answered in the home half with nine runs including a grand slam within its trio of home runs to grab a 14-12 lead.
Following a scoreless fifth, Charlie Peyla followed Noah Geekie's one-out walk with a game tying home run knotting it up at 14.
A leadoff double and walk became the eventual game winners as Nick Hosie's three-run dinger followed by John Vulcano's home run quickly ballooned the margin to four. Going to the pen for the fifth Barton pitcher of the game, Joe Richter struck out the first batter but the Trojans' Brayden Cust banged Colby's eighth long ball of the game joining Hosie and Volcano with two fence clearers each.
Final stat lines had Colby outhitting Barton 17-16 behind the eight home runs earning Andrew Asselin's his first victory with Jordan Ellison's two frames of work tagged for his first loss.
The top four of the Barton lineup (Rodgers, Andrew Stewart, Chandler Bloomer, and Pracht) each had three hits with Pracht and Peyla driving four runs apiece.
Game Two Recap
Having its thirteen game win streak snapped along with receiving the news of the season suspension, led by the pitching from Graham Brunner the Cougars left a statement on the West ending the nine-inning scheduled game in seven frames on a run rule victory.
Pracht's first inning third home run of the day and fifth of the season gave Brunner all the runs needed as the sophomore from Crowder College struck out a career high thirteen to eclipse ten strikeouts for the second consecutive outing.
Brunner surrendered just three hits in the seven trips to the hill, two in the first inning for the Trojans' lone run while striking out the frame's three outs. Striking out the side in the second, Brunner struck out two in each of the fifth and sixth limiting the Trojans to just one hit the final six innings improving to 4-0 on the year.
On the offensive end, a solo run pushed across in the second on Rodgers' fielder's choice as the Cougars would add runs to its lead in four of the next five innings.
Four runs crossed the plate in the fourth on Peyla's RBI triple, Tristan Charles' sacrifice fly, and two more trotting home on Adam Schrag's big fly to right.
Charles drove in his second run in the ensuing fifth on a two-out single.
Following Bloomer's RBI sixth inning double, Pracht drove in his seventh RBI of the day with a sacrifice fly with Barton's third run of the frame coming on Geekie reaching on error.
Schrag put the final touching on the run rule victory, launching a two-out solo home run for his second of the game and third of the sophomore's campaign.
Rodgers, Bloomer, Pracht, and Schrag each had two hits leading the Cougars to an 11-3 hit advantage with Pracht and Schrag each producing three runs batted in.