The Barton Community College baseball team scored early and never looked back Saturday afternoon as the Cougars swept their home opener over Western Nebraska Community College with a pair of run rule victories 11-1 and 12-2.
The victories improve Barton to 4-0 on the season while Western Nebraska drops to 1-5 on the year. Winners of 18 straight in the head-to-head series, the Cougars will look for their fifth straight series sweep Sunday at Lawson-Biggs Field as the two wrap up the four-game set with a 12:00 p.m. doubleheader.
Game One Recap
A pair of RBI singles by Dryden Howse and Ricardo Sanchez assorted with a bases loaded Colter Maldonado RBI walk and Joel Nieves bases loaded clearing double capitalized a nine run first inning.
Succeeding the lone Western Nebraska run in the top of the second, Maldonado produced his second RBI of the contest with an infield single driving home Caden Bressler handing Barton the nine-run lead back.
Looking for the dagger in the fifth, Jordan Ellison delivered blasting a leadoff pinch-hit blast to left center capping the 11-1 run rule victory.
Zach Thornton (1-0) pieced together a strong performance tossing all five innings allowing one run on four hits, walking one and fanning six Cougars in the winning effort.
Sanchez manufactured the lone multi-hit performance finishing 2-for-3 driving in one and scoring twice. Nieves paced the runs batted in output knocking in three.
Game Two Recap
The offense carried over in the nightcap as Barton rode a four run first frame with RBI singles from Ellison and Jackson Hartley and RBI Caden Bressler double.
Ellison's second RBI of the day in the fourth stretched the lead back to four following Western Nebraska's one run third on the first of two Drew Book RBI's.
Book would trim the Cougar lead to three one final time in the fifth on a solo shot to left but RBIs by Alex Rodgers in the fifth and sixth ignited the Barton sticks as the Cougars accounted for the final seven runs over the final three innings. A Sanchez RBI double and Bryan Bartels RBI single capped the three run seventh stretching Barton's lead to 9-2.
In the eight the Cougars produce its' second straight three spot as Nieves distributed a two RBI triple before crossing for the games run rule victory the very next pitch on Rodgers bloop RBI to left center.
Hunter Hesseltine earned the no decision for the second straight start tossing 3.1 innings giving up one allowing six hits, one walk and striking out three.
Making his collegiate debut Tyrus Riley pitched 3.2 innings in relief getting his first collegiate victory allowing one run on two hits and fanning four.