Written by: Alex Hammeke

The Barton Community College baseball team split its pair of conference games Thursday afternoon at Lawson-Biggs Field as the Cougars rode Graham Brunner's 2-0 complete game shutout in the opener before dropping the nightcap 6-0 to Butler Community College.

The split moves Barton to 9-9 in conference play and 22-13 on the year with Butler at 14-8 and 18-9 as the four game set shift's locations and resumes at 1:00 p.m. Sunday at McDonald Stadium in El Dorado, KS.   

Game One Recap:
Allowing a leadoff single to open the contest, the Alberta, Canadian southpaw Brunner established into a rhythm scattering just three hits over the next six innings holding the Grizzlies at bay.

A pitcher's dual through the opening two frames, the Barton offense awoken as Alex Rodgers tattered the Cougars first hit of the game with a triple to left. One pitch later Rodgers accounted for the eventual game winning run as Carson Pracht collected his 26th RBI of the season with a single to right.

Scoreless over the next three innings, Barton broke through for the game's final run in the sixth as Micah Grover added an insurance run with an RBI single to center driving home a leadoff Wade Reynolds single.

Game Two Recap:
Looking for a doubleheader sweep, the roles reversed in the nightcap as the Barton offense would be the ones searching for offensive production. 

Scoreless through the first two innings, the Grizzlies utilized the long ball on Jackson Syring's two-run blast over left field producing Butler's lone runs needed.

Butler's Syring's big day continued in the fifth launching his second two-run shot over the fences doubling the Cougars deficit to 4-0. The Grizzlies stretched the lead out to 6-0 with three hits ensuing the Butler round tripper.

Barton would account for three baserunners in the final four innings, but the needed big hit never came as the Cougars were held shutout for just the first time this season.