Connor Scott went 7-for-10 with five extra base knocks and two RBIs on the day to lead the Barton Community College softball team to a doubleheader and series sweep over Cloud County Community Colelge on Friday at Lee Doyen Field
The Cougars who have now won nine of their last 10 games, handed the T-Birds their first shutout loss of the season with a 9-0 victory in game one before taking the finale in a 15-7 route. Barton concludes the regular season in a three way tie for second in the final Jayhawk West standings at 20-12 while moving to 33-16 overall. Cloud County closes the regular season with a sixth place finish in league play at 17-15 and 28-22 mark for the year.
The Cougars, seeded fourth out of the west due to tiebreaking procedures, will face the east fifth seeded Coffeyville in the Cowley sub-regional. The Cougars' and Ravens will square off Friday at 2:00 p.m. in Arkansas City, KS with top seeded Cowley College taking on eighth seeded out of the west Dodge City Community College in the early contest starting at 11:00 a.m. The loser of the two contest will play at 5:00 p.m. Friday while the winners will match up at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Game 1 Recap:
Barton secured the series victory in the opener behind Zach Thornton's complete game shutout. Thornton (6-1) scattered three hits while walking a pair and fanning five T-Birds tossing his third complete game in his last four starts..
Offensively Connor Scott's team leading 10th round tripper of the season in the second frame was the lone Cougar run needed, as Thornton remained dialed in on the bump.
Wade Reynolds stretched the lead to 2-0 in the third on a sacrifice fly driving home Alex Rodgers one out double. Two innings later a pair of leadoff hit-by-pitches to Payton Sparks and Rodgers ensued two batters later by a Cloud error extended the Barton lead to 3-0.
Barton broke things open in the sixth as a leadoff T-Bird miscue sparked a five-run frame sparked on an Austin Gerety 2 RBI single, Rodgers 2 RBI triple and Reynolds RBI single.
The Cougars capped the scoring in the seventh following a Connor Scott leadoff single, later scoring on a Shawn Marquis RBI single.
Game 2 Recap:
In the nightcap the offensive firepower came alive as the two teams combined for 22 runs on 24 hits.
The Cougars broke the scoring in the top of the second on Marquis RBI single driving home one of Scott's two triples staking Barton to a 1-0 lead.
Cloud County pushed across a pair in the home half of the fourth gaining their first lead of the contest with back-to-back solo shots.
Scott knotted things up at 2-2 with his second triple in as many bats scoring Gerety while scoring the go-ahead run on a T-Birds error giving the Cougars a 3-2 lead.
Riding the momentum into the sixth a T-Bird error fueled a crooked eight spot highlighted on Gerety's grand slam for his first home run of the season. The T-Birds continued to hang around taking advantage of a trio of walks and trio of hit batters in the home half pulling to within four at 11-7.
Barton's offense remained hungry tacking on three more in the eighth inning. The big blows coming on a Reynolds RBI double and Pracht RBI single.
Hunter Hesseltine notched his fourth victory of the season tossing 2.1-innings in relief allowing five runs on four hits walking two and striking out three.
Starter Payton Tinkler worked 3.1-innings allowing two runs, four hits and striking out three in the no decision.