Allowing just three runs on nine hits, the Barton Community College baseball team would get balanced production up and down the lineup having little trouble getting past the junior varsity squad of Kansas Wesleyan University with wins coming by scores of 11-2 and 8-1 Wednesday afternoon at Lawson-Biggs Field.
Winners of 10 straight, the Cougars improve to 12-1 overall while the Coyotes development squad drops to 3-6 on the season.
Receiving votes in the latest NJCAA Division I poll, Barton will travel back on the road for a three game set in Kansas City, KS taking on the receiving vote Blue Devils of Kansas City Kansas Community College. First pitch of the series will get underway Saturday at 2:00 p.m. after pushing the three game set back a day due to weather. The teams will conclude the weekend with a 12:00 p.m. Sunday doubleheader.
Game 1 Recap
Scoring six of the first eight runs of the game, a one-out error in the bottom of the first would ignite a three run opening frame with the Cougars never looking back as the 11 runs scored would come behind nine hits, four walks and five hit-by-pitches drawn. A leadoff Robby Bolin hit-by-pitch would lead to the first run of the day coming on a three base error allowing Riley Silva to reach. Following the second plunking of the inning putting Ricardo Sanchez on base, Barton would add two more runs on back-to-back sacrifice fly's by Quinton Robertson and Ayden Blachowicz capping the three run first.
KWU JV would respond with a pair in the top of third drawing to within a run as a leadoff walk came around on a two-out RBI single and a second run scoring off a three base throwing error.
Back-to-back home runs by Sanchez and Robertson to open the bottom of the third sparked a three run response with Bolin drawing the second walk of the inning bringing home Hadley's one-out walk.
Three straight singles in the bottom of the fourth by Robertson, Blachowicz and Ayden Hadley pushed across the first of another three-run frame before a Howse RBI triple to center and throwing error on the play bringing home Howse from third extending the Barton lead to 10-2.
The Cougars would go on to add one more run in the fifth as an error to start the inning allowed for a one-out RBI single by Sanchez.
Aidan Sowers earned his first collegiate victory in his first start of the season after tossing the first 3.1-innings and allowing just two runs, one earned on three hits while walking three and striking out a pair. Ivan Cox was nails in relief surrendering just one hit in 1.2-innings of work while coming on and pitching out of a two-on, one-out jam in the fourth inducing a fly out and recording his lone strikeout. Nathan Bowman accounted for the final six outs tossing two innings in his collegiate debut on the rubber yielding one hit, one walk and striking out three.
Sanchez, Robertson, and Hadley would account for six of the nine Barton RBIs as Bolin and Howse recorded the other RBIs in the contest.
Game 2 Recap
Two runs in the opening frame for Barton would allow the Cougars to jump out to a lead and never look back in game two as the four pack of pitchers thrown would do the rest combining to allow one run on four hits and striking out 14 Coyotes.
A pair of walks drawn by Jaron Cotton and Jaden Wiley in the home first would come around to score on back-to-back RBI singles by Blachowicz and Chandler Miller.
Scoreless in the second inning, the Barton bats would return in the third scratching across a trio of runs. Combining for four hits in the inning an RBI Blachowicz single drove in Jaden Wiley's one-out triple, before a Miller double created a Grant Nottlemann RBI groundout with Cole Schieffer's first collegiate hit and RBI knocking in the third run extending the Cougar lead out to 5-0.
Barton would tack onto the lead in the fourth scoring two more as a leadoff Jackson Herbel single ran home on a Cotton RBI triple before crossing the plate two batters later on a Bolin pinch hit RBI groundout.
Free baserunners would play a key role in the final tally for the Cougars in the bottom of the fifth as three walks loaded the bases drawn by Schieffer, Hunter Seier, and Cotton generating Henry Hayman's first RBI producer of the season legging out an infield single.
A balanced attack from Barton would see seven different players account for a hit. Cotton, Miller and Wiley would all have extra-base knocks.
Making his first start in a Barton uniform Brett Allen was sensational scattering just two hits over four innings and striking out a career high eight after only tossing 0.1-innings in his first appearance of the season at Rose State.
Brian Bartels was nails out of the bullpen sending KWU JV down in order on strikeouts in his lone inning. Jordan Bedell tossed an inning surrendering one run on two hits, walking one and striking out two with Drew Otero having a solid collegiate debut working a scoreless seventh walking one and striking out one.