The Barton Community College baseball team split Saturday results on the road in coming away with a 3-1 series victory over Garden City Community College
The Cougars rallied in game one from a six run deficit early in the contest to score a trio of plate crossers in the extra frame to win 12-10. With game two shortened to seven innings, Barton held a five run lead into the fourth inning but couldn't hold on as Garden City plated the eventual winning run in the sixth to salvage the finale 10-9.
The weekend result leaves Barton at fifth place in the West at 16-12 and 29-12 overall while Garden City sits in the seventh spot at 9-19 and 19-25 on the year.
Barton wraps up the regular season this week in a four-game set against fourth place Cloud County Community College (17-11, 28-17). The series begins 1:00 p.m. Thursday on the Cougars' home turf of Lawson-Biggs Field before shifting to Concordia on Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. first pitch twin bill.
Connor Scott led the Cougars' twenty-six hit day with five hits coming on a trio of doubles and his team leading ninth home run of the year.
Hunter Hesseltine's 6.2 innings on the hill striking out ten Broncbusters improved to 2-1 on the year with Carson Cornelius stranding two baserunners to get the final out earned his third save of the season and second in the series.
Brenton Thiels took the game two hard luck loss dropping to 1-1 as Barton committed two errors in the six allowing Garden City to plate the winning run.
Game One Recap
Following Garden City putting a two-out run on the board behind three singles, Scott and Shawn Marquis provided the Barton answer in the ensuing second frame with consecutive one-out doubles followed by Carson Shively's RBI single.
The Broncbusters continued to rough up starting hurler Zach Thornton in the second, tagging a pair of singles followed by an RBI double to tie it up. A hit batsman later, a two-run fence clearer ended the freshman's shortest outing of the season with Garden City out on top 6-2. Hesseltine took over on the mound, getting the first of his ten strikeouts, but the momentum charged Broncbusters put two more on the board behind a solo home run, two singles and error before Hesseltine could extinguish the fire with two more punchouts.
Barton began chipping away at the deficit in the next three innings, scoring two in each of the third and fifth frame with three coming in the fourth.
Allen's two-run left field clearer plated Wade Reynolds' leadoff walk to the third inning. Shively and Colter Maldonado began the fourth with singles but the Cougars were down to their final out before a wild pitch plated one as Reynolds drew another walk before Carson Pracht jumped on the first pitch driving a triple to center closing Barton to within 8-7.
Getting the leadoff aboard for the third straight inning, Scott and Marquis singles set the table for the lead change with Maldonado's RB hit and Marquis' swiping home with two outs put the Cougars out front 9-8.
The Broncbusters had gone down quietly the previous two innings but a leadoff double would eventually score to tie it up at 9.
Each team stranded a runner in the sixth before each was sent down in order in the seventh turning the game to an extra inning affair.
Nine-hole hitter Peyton Sparks picked up his first hit of the contest to leadoff, stroking a double to left. Following an Alex Rodgers fly to right pushing Sparks to third, Reynolds also picked a good time for his lone hit on a RBI producing single to right. Allen extended the inning an out later driving in his third RBI with a triple to left with Scott joining him with three hits in the opener knocking a double to left putting Barton up 12-9.
Hesseltine induced a fly and ground out to begin the eighth but walked the next batter on a 3-2 pitch extending the frame. Following a stolen base, the Broncbusters drove in the run on a single. Another 3-2 pitch walk would bring a call to the bullpen as Cornelius induced a ground ball to end it.
Game Two Recap
Rodgers began his 3-for-4 3-RBI game launching the second pitch of game two over the center field fence for his 6th round tripper of the season.
Garden City also delivered a first inning big fly following a reach on error for a 2-1 lead.
Barton answered in the second with four runs behind five hits including three doubles. Scott began the frame with a two-bagger then following a Marquis hit and Jackson Hartley walk, consecutive doubles by Maldonado and Sparks trailed by a Rodgers two run producing single gave the Cougars a 5-2 advantage.
Aided by Garden City's lone error of the game, Hartley's first collegiate triple added another run in the third driving in Scott increasing the margin by one.
The Cougars went back to work in the fourth with Rodgers and Reynolds' hits being joined on the base paths by Allen's two out walk resulting in Rodgers' scooting home on a wild pitch for a five run advantage.