The Barton Community College baseball team stepped out of conference play Tuesday returning from Hesston College with a 7-2 victory.

The Cougars improve to 33-14 on the season in dropping Hesston to 18-30.

Barton gets back on the diamond Thursday hosting Cloud County Community College for the start of a pivotal series between the two current conference leaders. Barton leads the league race at 18-6 with the T-birds close behind at 20-8 and 37-12 on the year. First pitch slated for 1:00 p.m. at Lawson-Biggs Field for the day's doubleheader, action shifting to Concordia on Saturday for another 1:00 p.m. twinbill.

Ricardo Sanchez led the Cougar run producers driving in three, the first on a solo home run in the first inning for his team leading 8th of the year with two more crossing the dish on a sixth frame single pushing Barton's lead to 6-1.

Barton outhit the Larks 10-5 in the nine inning affair being led by Henry Hayman's three hits including a 5th inning two-run fence clearer for his 6th of the season giving the Cougars a then 4-0 advantage.

Logan Phillips kept the sheet clean through his four innings on the hill in matching a career high seven strikeouts improving to 3-1.

Connor Allen doubled up Barton's early lead with a third inning two-out single as Dryden Howse capped the Cougars' scoring tacking on a two-out hit to follow Sanchez's 2-RBI single.