The Barton Community College baseball team wrapped up its four-game home opening weekend with a pair of decisive 8-0 and 13-5 victories Sunday over Western Nebraska Community College to sweep the series.
The Cougars received an 11 strikeout debut performance by Owen Reynolds to silent the visitor bats in the opener before Jordan Ellison's fifth inning grand slam broke open the nightcap, belting his second of the day and third of the weekend, highlighting a sixteen hit Barton production as the Cougars pounded out twenty-nine in the perfect weather double-dip.
Barton improves to 6-0 on the early season with its biggest test, barring weather, coming on Thursday hosting 5th ranked Cowley College in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader. The teams will then switch locations on Saturday for another 1:00 p.m. twinbill in Arkansas City. Western Nebraska drops to 1-7 on the year as Barton secured its 20th straight victory in the series.
Game One Recap
Reynolds set the tone by striking out the game's first three batters while Barton went to work in the home half putting up a four spot.
Leadoff batter Alex Rodgers began his 3-for-3 game with a single to get things going with Ricardo Sanchez drawing a walk after Rodgers stole the first of his two bags in the opener. Ellison drove the pair home on a double, scoring on Caden Bressler's RBI single with Colter Maldonado also connecting on a run producing hit driving the fourth run across the dish.
Joining Ellison with a trio of hits on the front end of the doubleheader, Bressler picked up his second hit with a one-out single. Advancing to second on a wild pitch, Dryden Howse ensured the scoring opportunity wouldn't go for naught with an RBI single.
Ellison led off the fifth inning with his second of three home runs on the weekend with Bressler following with a double and later scoring on Maldonado's ground out pushing the lead to 7-0.
A pair of sixth inning doubles tacked on the final run, Rodgers leading off the inning with Connor Allen driving him home with one out.
Tegan Cain took over on the mound for the seventh, stranding a two-out full-count walk in striking out the second of two punch-outs in the frame.
Game Two Recap
The visiting Cougars took the early edge of the series finale nine inning affair, plating two in the first capitalizing on Bryson Schultz' one-out walk with a triple and ground out.
Barton grabbed the lead for good in the home half of the second inning with five runs on six hits. A WNCC error on Bressler's ball in play led off the inning with Joel Nieves' single and Howse's fly ball advancing him to third. Following Nieves' steal of second, Jace Stewart drove Bressler home before scoring on Beau Baumgardner's two RBI double. Rodgers' single kept the train rolling as singles from Ricardo Sanchez and Allen each drove in a run capping the frame.
Western Nebraska got one back in the third by extending the inning on a double and RBI single.
Barton fired back in the bottom half, Nieves and Howse leading off with doubles and plating another as Rodgers' ground ball was misplayed allowing the second run.
Following a scoreless fourth inning, Barton blew the completely open in the fifth. Loading the bases on Howse and Stewart singles and Baumgardner earning the badge of honor, Rodgers fought off a two-strike pitch in walking home the first of six runs in the frame. Allen plated another on a one-out single then Ellison launched his third home run of the weekend, a left field towering fence clearer to wipe the bases clean on the grand slam and the Cougars' final of 13 runs.
WNCC generated solo runs in the sixth and seventh, the first coming on a groundout after two singles in the frame with their last run coming on a bases loaded fielder's choice as Barton plunked a pair of batters on either side of a single.
Six Cougars made mound performances, Shultz with the start working three innings followed by Hollis Huff and eventual winner David Stuart in picking up his first victory coming on three strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Logan Redeker struck out a pair in his seventh inning of work with Brian Bartels and Carson Cornelius fanning one each in the eighth and ninth inning respectively.
All but one Cougar in the lineup collected a hit, six having multiple hits as Barton pounded out a season high 16. Sanchez and Allen led the top of the lineup with three hits each while the bottom four of Nieves, Howse, Stewart, and Baumgardner each had two hits.