The Barton Community College baseball team rode a solid team effort Monday afternoon from Lawson-Biggs Field having little trouble getting past Bethany College JV as eight walks in the opener would lead to a 10-0 win with the Cougars pounding out seven extra base hits in the nightcap cruising to a 12-1 doubleheader sweep.
Barton received an all-around offensive performance as 10 different Cougars recorded a hit on the afternoon, eight producing an extra base hit and 12 driving in a run or crossing for a run.
Barton improves to 28-10 on the season, getting back to conference action on Thursday with a road trip to Liberal, KS with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Seward County Community College. The Cougars will return home on Saturday to conclude the four game set in a 1:00 p.m. first pitch twinbill.
Game 1 Recap
Logan Phillips made his fifth start of the season, keeping the Swedes off-balance on a career high seven strikeouts and allowing just a hit and pair of walks in his four innings to match a career longest on the hill improving to 2-1 on the year.
Offensively the Cougars didn't have their most productive game at the plate but took advantage of eight walks in pressuring the Swede defense with seven stolen bases and connected for extra bases in three of their five total hits.
Alex Rodgers had two of Barton's hits, driving in four with two outs in the game behind a second inning single and three more on third inning bases clearing double for his 18th two-bagger of the season. Reaching on a walk to begin the game, Rodgers' three times on the base paths resulted in three stolen bases to continue his climb up the program's top ten stolen base chart.
Barton loaded the bags in their first at-bat as Rogers, Ricardo Sanchez, and Connor Allen drew walks as Henry Hayman and Jordan Ellison put the Cougars on the board with sacrifice flies.
Hayman and Ellison produced the Cougars' fourth run with one-out in the third, Hayman tripling off the left field fence with Ellison following with his second sacrifice fly. The Cougars then tacked on five more runs with two outs in the frame, Jace Stewart driving in one following Wade Reynolds and Tanner Schrag walks, and following Riley Silva loading the bases after wearing the badge of honor, Rodgers' double cleared the bags then trotted home on a two-base throwing error.
Connor Allen led off the fourth with a towering home run for his team tying seventh fence clearer of the year in closing out the scoring.
Kade Walker made his second appearance out of the bullpen in working the final fifth frame, inducing a soft lineout before striking out the final two batters.
Game 2 Recap
In the nightcap, the Cougar bats pounded out 11 hits with seven for extra bases in cruising to a 12-1 route.
Sitting in the opener, Colter Maldonado made the most of his start in game two setting the tone with a bases clearing three-RBI triple with one-out. Ensuing a Shawn Marquis hit-by-pitch, Jackson Hartley drove in the fourth run of the inning with the first of his two sacrifice fly's.
Barton would manufacture three of their seven extra base knocks in the home second as Rodgers and Sanchez strung back-to-back doubles for their second straight hits in as many innings with Dryden Howse driving them home five pitches later with the third straight double.
Making just his third career start, Bryson Schultz faced his lone hicup of the day in the top of the third giving up his lone hit and run on a two-out Connor Harensnape solo-shot cutting the Barton lead to 6-1.
Held scoreless for the first time on the afternoon, Sanchez got the Cougars a cooking for a six run fourth legging out a rare inside the park home run for his team tying seventh home run of the season. Barton loaded the bags for the first time in the inning as a Howse hit-by-pitch answered by back-to-back Chandler Miller and Maldonado singles would setup a one-out two-RBI double by Marquis. Hartley would bring home the fourth run of the frame producing his second sacrific fly with Ethan Haufler delivering his lone knock of the day with an RBI double driving in Marquis. The Cougars would load them back up on a walk and hit-by-pitch drawn by pinch hitters Beau Baumgardner and Ben Cordova with the final Barton tally coming on a Bryan Bartels pinch hit RBI bases loaded walk.
Schultz notched his first collegiate victory improving to 1-0 on the season tossing three innings giving up one run on one hit and striking out a career high three batters. Hunter Jones tossed 1.2-innings permitting a one-out single in the fifth while fanning one Swede with Matt Nedved closing the game with a punchout following a one out walk issued in his 0.1-innings of work.
Sanchez led the Barton bats in the nightcap with a 3-for-3 performance falling a home run shy of the cycle driving in one and scoring three times. Rodgers and Maldonado rounded out the multi-hit performances.