Written by: Alex Hammeke
After taking a brief break from Jayhawk West action last week, the Barton Community College baseball team had a rough go in their return, as the Saints of Seward County took care of business Thursday afternoon earning a doubleheader sweep. In the series opener, the Cougar bats were held at bay as the Saints ace Sam Berberich tossed a no-hitter in a five-inning 10-0 run-rule victory. The nightcap looked promising in the early innings for Barton jumping out to a 6-1 lead until a late Seward County surge propelled the Saints in walk-off fashion 9-8.
Barton falls to 7-7 in Jayhawk West play while moving to 20-11 on the season as the Saints improve their mark to 12-6 in league play and 16-14 overall. The Cougars will look to salvage a series spilt with the Saints on Saturday as the series shifts to Lawson-Biggs Field with first pitch of the doubleheader slated for 1:00 p.m.
Game One Recap:
Barton's lone baserunners of the game came on a leadoff Saints error and Micah Grover leadoff walk in the fifth. Seward County's ace Sam Berberich kept the Cougars hitless through his five innings of work tossing a complete game no-hitter in the winning effort.
Seward did not start with the hits until the second inning, but the Saints would use the most of a two-out rally. Seward would score four runs on five hits in the second inning, and the Saints would use a grand slam to double their lead to eight in the third inning.
Seward would look to build another two-out rally in the fourth, but could not seal the deal, as Barton stranded Saint baserunners at first and second. Seward would finish out the first game in the fifth, with a solo home run, and a double bringing in the tenth run to run-rule the game.
Game Two Recap:
Looking for a different result in game two, Barton would take a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when a Carsen Pracht double would score Alex Rodgers on a two-out rally. The Cougars would extend that lead to five in the next inning. Conner Scott would start the extension with a leadoff walk, and would make it home on a center field double from Connor Allen. Barton would take advantage of another free baserunner in the inning when Wade Reynolds was hit by pitch. Reynolds and Allen would score off a single from Caden Bressler. Bressler would finish out the scoring when he made it home off Pracht's fly out.
Seward would finally break into the scoring column in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff home run, but Conner Allen would send Barton's response into orbit, with his fourth dinger of the season.
The Saints would flex their muscle in the bottom of the fourth. Seward would start with three hits before a Kuntendorf strikeout broke up the hit train. Unfortunately for Barton, Seward wasn't rattled, and the Saints would score on the next four straight plays to tie the ball game at six.
Neither team could get any advantage in the sixth or seventh innings. Pracht's two-out triple in the sixth was fruitless, as Micah Grover would be struck out to finish the half. A Seward County 1-2-3 double play would take care of a promising start for Barton in the seventh, where Scott hit a leadoff double, followed by walks from Allen and Wade Reynolds.
Barton would find the offensive firepower need in the eighth inning, starting off with a leadoff single from Carson Shively. Shively would give the Cougars the lead when he made it home off a Rodgers double. Rodgers would extend the lead to two when he would complete his trip around the bases off Grover's sacrifice fly.
Seward would have a response. The Saints would load the bases off a single, a double, and a free base from being hit by pitch. A single would give score two Saints, and would tie the ball game for the second time at eight.
Barton would juice the bases in the ninth, off two outs, but the Cougars could not get things going. Seward would finish off the game when their leadoff single advanced to second and third off wild pitches, and another single on the two-out rally would give Seward County the home sweep.