The Barton Community College baseball team earned a doubleheader split Saturday at Rose State Community College. The Cougars secured the series win in the front end of the doubleheader earning a dominating 12-2 run rule victory while falling in the finale 9-5.
Concluding the opening weekend 2-1, Barton will return home to prepare for their home opening series on Saturday and Sunday against Western Nebraska Community College. First pitch for the pair of doubleheaders is slated for 1:00 p.m. from Lawson-Biggs Field.
Game 1 Recap
Looking to secure the weekend series, Barton wasted little time grasping the momentum in the opening frame loading the bases on a Riley Silva single, Ricardo Sanchez drawn hit-by-pitch and the first of two errors allowing Jaden Wiley to reach all with one-out. Three pitches later the Raiders second error in the inning proved costly allowing Ayden Blachowicz to reach scoring Silva. The Cougar lead grew quickly as a wild pitch brought in Sanchez and a bases loaded drawn walk by Dryden Howse expanded the lead to four with a Hunter Seier fielder's choice capping the five-run frenzy.
Barton came back to add four more tallies in the second extending the lead to 8-0. Back-to-back leadoff singles by Robby Bolin and Silva's second in as many innings jumpstarted the frame, with a Sanchez sacrifice fly following by a Wiley RBI groundout making it 7-0. With two-down a Blachowicz plunk by pitch would structure the final run-on Jaron Cotton's RBI double to left.
The offense resumed in the third as a leadoff Seier double and one-out Bolin hit-by-pitch had the Cougars back in business. Following a Silva fielder's choice, Sanchez brought home his second and third RBIs delivering a two-out single pushing the Barton lead to 10-0.
Rose State broke through with its first run of the game in the bottom of the third as Barton's lone error of the game to open the inning would cross on a two-out single trimming the lead to 10-1.
Barton would respond, scoring their final two runs in the fifth as Blachowicz continued his strong day at the plate driving in his second and third RBIs scoring Sanchez double and Wiley walk.
The Raiders would make one final comeback attempt in the home fifth loading the bases behind a pair of walks and hit-by-pitch issued by Brett Allen. Colton Wahlstrom would limit the damage coming on facing a one-out bases loaded jam squandering just a sacrifice fly before getting the final flyout halting any Rose State comeback.
Barton's offense was highlighted by Sanchez 2-for-2 day driving in three RBIs and scoring twice. Blachowicz contributed driving in a trio of runs going 1-for-3. Also contributing multiple hits were Silva and Seier each recording a pair.
On the mound David Stuart was solid tossing 4.0-innings of one-hit baseball, allowing one unearned run, walking three and striking out six across 84 pitches en route to his first win of the season.
Game 2 Recap
Looking to sweep the series, Silva got the Cougars on the board in the top of the first reaching on a one-out single, scoring on a wild pitch three batters later. The lead would be short livid as the Raiders cashed in during the home half producing a double and RBI single.
Scoreless over the next two innings, Barton snatched their final lead in the fourth on Cotton's sac-fly scoring Wiley and Ayden Hadley's first collegiate run batted on the ensuing pitch driving in Blachowicz's single. Rose State brought the deficit to one as a solo shot to lead off the fourth made it 3-2.
Rose State broke through in the fifth, as four straight Raiders reached base to open a five-run inning fabricated behind four hits and drawing a trio of walks claiming a 7-3 lead into the sixth.
Barton drew within 7-5 in the top of the seventh as a Seier single brought home Cotton's leadoff single and later scoring on Silva's RBI single with two-outs.
A leadoff error in the bottom of the seventh generated to a Raider run with the final touches being put on in the eighth, as a leadoff double resulted into an RBI single and a pair of walks loading the bases equipped an RBI groundout.
Silva and Blachowicz furnished the bat production each supplying 2-for-4 games as the Cougars were held without an extra base hit in the series finale after producing six in the opening two contests.
Starting pitcher Teegan Cain (0-1) was solid through the opening four innings allowing just one run and three hits before getting into trouble in the fifth concluding the day surrendering five runs on five hits, walking four and striking out two in the losing effort.