The Barton Community College baseball team picked up a key conference sweep Thursday at Lawson-Biggs Field taking the first leg of the series against Hutchinson Community College.
Zach Thornton struck out a career high thirteen in going the distance of the opening 4-2 win with the Cougars producing thirteen hits powered by Alex Rodgers' 4-for-4 performance in an 11-6 victory.
Barton's 9th straight win improves the Cougars to 14-4 in conference play and 25-9 overall while Hutchinson sees their nine win streak end, dropping to 8-6 in league and 18-14 on the season. The teams switch locations on Saturday for the backend of the series to Hutchinson's Hobart-Detter Field for a 1:00 p.m. pitch for the doubleheader.
Rodgers, the reigning KJCCC Player of the Week, led the offense going 6-of-8 from the plate while driving in four runs out of the leadoff spot. Batting behind Rodgers, Ricardo Sanchez stayed hot on the year going 4-of-6 in driving in a team high five runs in the doubleheader. Jace Stewart and Joel Nieves help set up the top of the lineup RBI opportunities going a combined 5-of-10 out of the No. 8 and No. 9 spots.
Game One Recap
Thornton began his personal record setting day striking out three in the opening frame, fanning the first two Blue Dragons before a four pitch walk extended the inning as Ryan Henderson's triple plated the day's first run.
Three hit by pitches began the home half to load the bases but Connor Allen's sacrifice fly would be all the Cougars could plate as reigning KJCCC Pitcher of the Week Jack Whitlock induced an inning ending double.
After Thornton sent the Blue Dragons down in order on punch outs in the second, Hutchinson took its final lead in the third. Loading the bases on a pair of hits and a hit batsman, a passed ball allowed the lone run to cross the plate as Thornton battled back to end the frame on his seventh strikeout swinging.
Barton loaded the bases again with two outs in the second, went silently in the third, but took the lead for good on a three-run fourth. Loading the bases for the third time of the opener, Rodgers drove in the tying run on a single followed by Sanchez' two run producing single.
Fanning two Blue Dragons in the fifth, worked through a two-out pickle in the sixth stranding a pair of runners on a strikeout, then sent Hutchinson down in order on a pair of groundouts and the final punch out.
Improving to 6-0 on the year, Thornton scattered four hits in third complete game of the year, walking one and recording his career high 13 strikeouts.
Whitlock took the loss in working five innings, dropping to 5-2 with Noah Kelley manning the bump for the final frame.
Game Two Recap
A two-out two-run Henderson home run put Hutchinson out front early with Allen driving in Rodgers' leadoff hit in cutting the deficit in half.
Barton starting hurler David Stuart picked off a Hutchinson leadoff hit to the second inning, striking out four in his four innings of work before a fourth inning single would score on a two-out single with another Blue Dragon base knock tacking on another for a 4-1 lead.
The Cougars struck back an inning later, Rodgers delivering a one-out triple driving in Stewart's leadoff single then scoring on Henry Hayman's sacrifice fly.
Ian Lanik stranded a Blue Dragon in the fifth but ran into trouble in the sixth as a leadoff single was followed by a pair of one-out walks. Bryan Bartels took the hill in the bases loaded jam, losing a batter on a 3-2 pitch in walk across a run before a groundout plated another for Hutchinson's final run in leading 6-3.
Jordan Ellison's one-out sixth inning blast to right field for his team leading 7th fence clearer changed the game as a hit by pitch and walk forced a Hutchinson call to the bullpen. Joel Nieves beat out an infield single to load the bags with the 1-2 punch of Rodgers and Sanchez doing damage driving in two runs each, Rodgers on his 17th double of the year and Sanchez driving a single to the outfield flipping the scoreboard to a Barton 8-6 advantage.
Tyrus Riley sent Hutchinson down in order in the seventh then after surrendering a leadoff hit to the eighth, received the defensive twin killing executed from Stewart to Sanchez to Dryden House in completing the 6-4-3 scoring.
Connecting on a second inning triple and the sixth frame hit, Nieves reached base for the third time out of the No. 9 hole getting hit by pitch with one-out in the eighth. Needing a home run for the cycle, Rodgers had to settle for a base hit with Sanchez delivering his team leading 58th RBI one batter later on a single to right field. A Hutchinson pitching change later, Hayman drove in Rodgers with Allen closing out the scoring with a sacrifice bunt plating Sanchez and Barton 11-6 lead to ninth.
Carson Cornelius took the bump for the final frame, inducing a trio of groundouts to preserve the win for Bartels improving to 4-0 on the year.
Both teams used five pitchers each, Kaden Wickersham taking the Blue Dragon loss in dropping to 2-2 on the season.