The Barton Community College baseball team opened up conference play this weekend taking three of the four games over Pratt Community College.
The teams began the series on Saturday in Pratt, the Cougars getting a strong two-hit pitching performance for an 8-0 victory before scoring seven runs late in holding on 13-12.
Shifting to Lawson-Biggs Field for Sunday's twinbill, Barton took the opener 6-4 but couldn't get the series sweep as Pratt had a trio of big innings leading to a 18-11 victory.
The result leaves Barton at 10-6 on the season with Pratt moving to 13-9.
Barton's next action comes Wednesday in Salina in a 3:00 p.m. nine inning affair against the junior varsity squad of Kansas Wesleyan Univerisity before beginning a conference series at Dodge City Community College on Thursday with the backend shifting to the Cougars' turf on Saturday.
Zach Thornton earned the series opener victory, running his scoreless streak to 16.1 innings with five innings of shutout, striking out eight including silencing the region's top hitter to an 0-3 performance, scattered a pair of hits and a lone walk sending the Beavers down in order in two of the frames improving to 3-0 and lowering his ERA to a Region VI third best 1.23.
Ricardo Sanchez led the offense, batting .667 on the weekend while helping the Cougars roll up four double plays in the series. Sanchez began the series with two home runs and four RBI, drove in four more in the next two games, then capped the week producing three extra base hits driving two more across the dish. Finishing 8-12 from the plate with a 1.500 slugging percentage, Sanchez scored seven times, drove in ten, and walked six times for a .737 on-base percentage.
Saturday Game 1 (Box Score)
Thornton and David Stuart combined for twelve strikeouts and two hits allowed in the seven inning opener. Stuart hurled the final two frames in striking out four sending the Beavers down in order.
Sanchez began his weekend with two home runs in his three hits, belting his first on a two-run fence clearer in the fourth before connecting on his fourth of the year leading off the sixth capping a four RBI performance.
Sanchez' first hit drove in Barton's first run in the third frame with the Cougars tacking five on the boar in the fourth with two crossing on Pratt error, Alex Rodgers' RBI double, and the two crossing on Sanchez' big fly.
Ethan Haufler and Jace Stewart picked up their lone hits producing a solo run across the dish in the fifth, Hauffler following Stewart's single with a triple to left field.
Saturday Game 2 (Box Score)
Scoring seven runs combined in the seventh and eighth inning to take a four run lead into the ninth, Barton held on for the win behind Carson Cornelius' bases loaded relief pitching to protect the victory.
The third inning had nine runs cross the plate, Barton scoring five at the top of the frame on Shawn Marquis' bases loaded two-RBI double followed by Jaden Wiley's three-run jack for his first of two home runs in the series.
Pratt got four runs back in the home half on back-to-back jacks, a three-run from Marcelo Aguirre followed by Mitchell Smith's solo shot.
The Beavers tied it up with a two-out single in the fifth but the Cougars got the run back in the ensuing sixth as Rodgers moved to third base after his leadoff single by stealing second and advancing on a passed ball to score on Sanchez' sacrifice fly.
A walk and two hit batsman helped set up Pratt's four run answer in the home half, producing a two-out double and single to take the lead 9-6.
Barton returned the favor in the seventh with four runs of their own, Dryden Howse getting things started with a one-out walk followed by Stewart and Colter Maldonado walks to load the bases. Rodgers drove two home on a double with Sanchez driving in the other two runs on single to center.
The Cougars again loaded the bases in the eighth, Joel Nieves and Marquis singles to begin the frame with Howse drawing a one-out walk. Stewart pushed two across with a single and Maldonado's sac fly pushed the margin out to 13-9.
Pratt mounted a rally in the bottom of the ninth in loading the bases on a Barton infield error, a single, and a walk. Another walk pushed in the first of three runs in the frame as Cornelius induced consecutive ground outs before striking out the last batter stranding the tying run at third base.
Sunday Game One (Box Score)
Pratt took the early lead on a one-out double with Rodgers' free pass getting plunked provided the tying run on Sanchez' full-count single.
Barton took the lead in the home half of the second on Maldonado's two-out hit driving in Marquis' reach on error.
Aguirre's first of two Pratt home runs in the game tied it back up in the third but the Cougars regained the lead for good in the home half as Rodgers' leadoff double scored on Connor Allen's single and Wiley's sacrifice fly.
The Cougars added solo runs in the fourth and sixth. Stewart's first home run of the season coming with two outs in the fourth and Maldonado's second RBI of the game driving in Howse' sixth inning leadoff single.
The Beavers made things interesting in the final seventh frame, a one-out double trotting home on Mitchell Smith's home run but Ian Lanik earned the save stranding the tying runs on base inducing a fly out and fielder's choice.
Owen Reynolds earned the victory improving to 2-0 on the year, working 4.1 innings with two strikeouts getting a pair of 6-4-3 double plays turned by Stewart, Sanchez, and Howse closing the door on the first and third frames.
Sunday Game Two (Box Score)
A stiff wind blowing out to left helped play a part in a wild series finale, from infield pop-ups landing for base hits, countless drives to the wall over defender attempts, and three balls leaving the yard as the teams combined for thirty-five hits going through ten pitchers.
Pratt produced a trio of four or more run innings, plating five in the second, four in the fourth, and four in the eighth. On the verge of being run ruled, the Cougars put three on the board in the seventh and a five spot in the eighth drawing to within five to the ninth but the Beavers produced a two-out triple and double pushing the margin to its final of seven.
Trailing 6-0, Stewart helped Barton get on the board leading off the third with a triple to score on Rodgers' ground out.
After the Beavers pushed the lead out to 12-1 by scoring in four of the first five innings, Wiley got two back for the Cougars with a bases loaded two-out single before being thrown out stretching the hit to a two-bagger to end the inning.
The Cougars gained some momentum in the seventh, Sanchez and Henry Hayman connecting on each's first of two doubles in the game with Hayman scoring on Wiley's single and Pratt error and Caden Bressler driving in the third run of the frame on a groundout.
The Beavers responded with four runs in the ensuing eighth, scoring on an outfield error followed by a triple and two-run Josue Vazquez home run.
Sanchez and Hayman again went back-to-back two-bag hits in sparking a five-run home half with Wiley following with a two-run dinger for his third of the season.
Sending Pratt down in order in the first frame including two on strikeouts, Lanik took the loss in 1.2 innings of work as an error extended the second frame with just one of the five runs crossing the plate on two outs were earned.