Facing a 2-0 deficit through the first inning, the Barton Community College baseball team rallied for five unanswered over the next three innings to grasp control for good earning a series clinching 11-9 victory in the opener before dropping a 12-11 decision to Hutchinson Community College to earn a doubleheader split to close out the four-game series at Hutchinson's Hobart-Detter Field Saturday.
Earning a victory in the opener, the Cougars pushed their winning streak to a season long 10-wins while picking up a fourth KJCCC series win to improve to 15-5 in league place and 26-10 overall while Hutchinson salvages the final game of the weekend moving to 9-7 in KJCCC play and 19-15 on the year.
Barton will have a quick turnaround welcoming in the Bethany College development squad in a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader Monday from Lawson-Biggs Field. The Cougars will return to conference play on Thursday with a trip to Liberal, KS to open a four-game set against the Saints of Seward County Community College.
Game 1 Recap
A shaky start in the bottom of the first would see Hutchinson jump in front 2-0 on an RBI Ryan Henderson double and Sterling Sutcliffe RBI groundout fueled off a one-out Barton error and hit batsman.
Jace Stewart trimmed the Cougars deficit in half in the top of the second producing the second two-out hit of the inning plating Jordan Ellison's base knock to get the rally a cooking.
Starting hurler Owen Reynolds shifted the momentum in the second working his lone perfect inning of the day fanning out the side. Henry Heyman sustained the Cougar momentum in the third knotting the scoreboard up at 2-2 with a two-out blast to center for his second of the season.
Hutchinson would be in prime position to take the lead back in the third loading the bases up with three walks, but Reynolds dug deep on the bump getting out of his own jam inducing a fielder's choice with the Blue Dragons leaving them loaded.
Barton would put together a game-changing top of the fourth that would feature a leadoff Dryden Howse walk, hits batsman and five singles with three of the four producing RBIs off the bats of Joel Nieves, Ricardo Sanchez and Hayman capping a four-run inning.
The Blue Dragons pulled within a run, 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth as a hit-by-pitch to open the inning following by a Ben McLaughlin single setup a three run round tripper by Henderson.
The Cougars struck back in the sixth as back-to-back one-out Alex Rodgers and Sanchez walks fashioned an insurance run on a Connor Allen RBI single.
The one-run lead would not face any resistance in the bottom of the sixth as reliever Ian Lanik remained nails out of the bullpen working a clear inning. A leadoff walk to Shawn Marquis in the seventh succeeded by a Jace Stewart RBI single opened the first of a four-run frame. A Rodgers walk and wild pitch put runners on the corners with Sanchez delivering the second extra base hit of the game with a two-RBI double to left. Hayman capped the four-run frame just two pitches later driving in his third RBI of the day with a single to left extending Barton's lead to 11-5.
Refusing to go away quietly, Hutchinson would respond with five straight hits producing four runs behind Henderson's second three-run blast of the game and Sutcliffe's back-to-back homerun to right pulling within two. Hunter Gotreaux's single sent the tying run to the plate with no-outs before closer Carson Cornelius settled in recording a strikeout, fielder's choice and fly out to end the Blue Dragons rally attempt notching his third save of the year.
Improving to 4-0 on the year, Reynolds scattered four hits, three earned runs, walked three and striking out five in his four innings of work.
Chase Torkelson dropped to 3-4 on the year working four innings allowing six runs, seven hits, walking two and striking out five.
Game 2 Recap
Looking to sweep its' second straight weekend series against a conference opponent, the Cougars jetted out the gates early on behind Ellison's three run blast to center for his team leading eighth home run of the season.
Holding Hutchinson in check in the home first, Barton would manufacture an addition insurance run on a two-out Rodgers double driving in Jackson Hartley's leadoff walk stretching the lead to 4-0.
The Blue Dragons would benefit behind the long ball in the home half of the second trimming the Cougar lead in half on Sutcliffe's leadoff blast and Jack Torosian's one-out solo shot.
Producing runs in both the first and second innings, Barton would continue the trend in the third as Hartley generated the second straight double and fourth extra base hit through the first three innings driving in Marquis double and Howse reaching on Hutchinson's second error of the game.
The long ball remained a crucial part of the Blue Dragons offense with McLaughlin launching the third home run in as many innings brining home two and cutting the Cougar lead to 6-4.
Sent down in order over the next two frames and managing just a Rodgers single over the next three, Barton would find themselves knotted up on the scoreboard through five innings with Hutchinson pushing for a run in the fourth and fifth frames before eventually taking their first lead in the bottom of the sixth behind a McLaughlin RBI triple and Henderson RBI groundout.
Refusing to go away a two-out Howse walk in the seventh extended the Cougar frame setting up Marquis first collegiate home run as the freshman delivered the 1-0 pitch over the trees in left center to knot it up at 8-8.
Hutchinson would regain the lead in the home seventh as a one-out Torosian double setup a go-ahead RBI Kael Babin single.
Back-to-back hit batsmen to Tanner Schrag and Rodgers had Barton a cooking with Sanchez drawing a walk to load the bases and none away in the eighth. Ellison would drive in the tying run on a sacrifice fly for his third RBI of the game, but the Cougars would be unable to push across anything more leaving them loaded.
Two pitches into the bottom of the eighth, McLaughlin took advantage of Barton leaving them loaded putting the Blue Dragons back in front connecting on his second home run of the game to straight away center.
Trailing 10-9 heading to the ninth, an Allen one-out single would kick things off as the tying run would come across on a Schrag RBI triple scoring pinch runner Ethan Haufler. Barton grasped their final lead as Rodgers produced his second RBI of the game with a groundout handing the Cougars a 11-10 lead.
Hutchinson would create the eventual go-ahead run with a leadoff single and walk to open the home ninth. Following a sacrifice bunt, the Blue Dragons second walk of the inning loaded the bags with one away with Henderson walking it off on a 1-2 pitch singling to left driving in the tying and game winning runs.
On the mound, starter Tegan Cain earned a no-decision tossing 2.2-innings allowing four runs on five hits and striking out a pair. Bryan Bartels dropped his first loss of the season falling to 3-1 on the season while also having his three innings scoreless stretch broken up allowing two runs, two hits and two walks over 0.1-innings.
Rodgers and Marquis recorded four of the Cougars nine hits each turning in two-hit performances.