The Barton Community College baseball team earned a pair of victories Wednesday sweeping the three-pack at Lawson-Biggs Field. The Cougars used a late offensive charge in the opener earning a 10-3 route over McCook Community College before earning a 10-5 night cap victory over Northeast Community College. In the sandwich game McCook Community College held off Northeastern Community College 10-8.
The victories push the Cougars' win streak to its' largest of the season at six straight, while improving to 10-1 on the season. Barton will conclude its' longest homestretch on Monday with a doubleheader against Sterling College JV before opening Kansas Jayhawk Conference play next Thursday at Hutchinson Community College.
McCook Recap:
Carson Pracht put the Cougars out front in the opening frame driving a 0-2 pitch to center driving home Alex Rodgers. Loading the bases up following back-to-back walks, Pracht pushed across the second run scoring on a passed ball.
Freshman Colter Maldonado stretched out the Barton lead in the third blasting a three-run laser to left scoring Jordan Ellison and Connor Scott collecting his first collegiate round tripper.
An inning later Rodgers pushed the Cougars advantage to 6-0 blasting a leadoff solo-shot for his third round tripper of the young season.
Looking to break things open a 14 pitch at-bat resulting in a Scott RBI double brought home Connor Allen before a Shawn Marquis sacrifice-fly brought home Scott.
A solo shot by McCook's Ryan Nourse to lead off the top of the sixth broke up the Barton shutout trimming the margin to 9-1.
Loading the bases with one-out in the bottom of the inning Barton would account for their 10th run as Micah Grover crossed home on a McCook passed ball.
The Indians accounted for the final two runs of the contest in the top of the seventh resulting in the final 10-3 result.
Eight Cougars found the hit column with Maldonado leading the charge driving in three runs.
Starter Logan Phillips (1-0) worked 4.0 innings allowing just two hits, three walks and striking out four.
Northeast Recap:
Early on, it was an offensive juggernaut as the two teams combined to tally 11 of the contests 15 runs in the opening two frames.
Northeast grabbed the early lead in the top of the first on a 2-out RBI bunt single by Zane Zielinski, scoring Tyler Monroe.
Barton erupted massively opening the contest with three consecutive extra base hits jump-starting the four run inning. Rodgers collected one of his two doubles to begin the inning. A RBI triple by Pracht would knot things up 1-1. Two pitches later Barton grasped their first lead as a Hawks wild pitch plated home Pracht. Grover continued the hot start lacing a double down the left field line leading to two more runs off a Hawks error giving Barton the 4-1 lead after one.
The Barton lead quickly evaporated as Northeast pieced together a three run 2-out rally tying things up one final time.
The Cougar bats remained scorching hot, with triples from Rodgers and Grover sparking a three-run third. Rodgers crossed the plate for the second time in as many innings on Pracht's RBI ground out. Ellison added to the margin scoring Grover on a single to center before coming swapping spots on an Allen double.
Making his first start in a Barton uniform Brenton Thiels settled into a groove tossing a 1-2-3 third. Barton would add another insurance run in the third as Rodgers third extra-base hit in the contest plated both Joel Nieves and Rodgers following the Hawks second miscue of the contest growing the Cougars' lead to 9-4.
The Otis, Louisiana hurler did all the work defensively for the Cougars striking out the side on ten pitches finishing one over the near perfect inning. Following a leadoff Ellison bomb to open the home half of the fourth, Barton faced its' toughest position of the night in the top of the fifth.
Dealing with a bases loaded logjam and nobody out, Thiels locked in on the mound fielding a lacer back up the middle getting a much-needed first out at home on the fielder's choice. The righty pitched his way out of the jam fanning his eighth Hawk of the evening, benefitting on a costly Northeast base-running mistake as Allen tagged out Tyler Monroe at the plate finishing off the double play.
The Barton offense went into hibernation over the final two innings recording one baserunner on a Rodgers walk.
Hunter Hesseltine kept Northeast at bay working a 1-2-3 sixth. The Hawks mounted one final effort plating a run on a dropped third strike capping the 10-5 scoring.
Rodgers paced the offense for the Cougars recording three extra base hits and walk capping his 3-for-3 day at the dish.
Theils earned the victory tossing 5.0 innings of work with eight strikeouts and a walk.