Jaden Wiley delivered the big hit blasting a three-run go-ahead home run to left field helping the Barton Community College baseball team to a split doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Kasnas City Community College.
Wiley's big hit came in the top of the 10th inning powering the Cougars to a 7-4 victory over the Blue Devils in game one securing Barton's fifth straight series win to open the season. KCK utilized a seven run two-out rally in the home sixth in the nightcap to spoil the Cougars sweep attempt.
Snapping its' 12-game winning streak, Barton now sits at 14-2 overall while the Blue Devils conclude the weekend with a 9-4 mark.
The Cougars will return home to open a three-game weekend set against North Iowa Area Community College. The series will get underway Friday in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Lawson-Biggs Field before concluding with a nine-inning finale Saturday afternoon scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.
Game 1 Recap
Held without a hit over the opening three innings, the Cougar bats awoke in their second turn through the lineup jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the fourth. The first of seven RBIs driven in on the day by Wiley opened the scoring with a double to center brought home a one-out Ricardo Sanchez walk. Two pitches later Ayden Blachowicz doubled up the Blue Devils with a single to center before Dryden Howse's first jack of the season to center field capped the four run frame.
KCK would respond in the bottom of the fourth as a one-out walk and catcher's interference structured an RBI double trimming the lead to 3-1.
The Blue Devils would pull within a run in the home sixth as a two-out walk functioned a two-run home run to left field.
Stranding a leadoff walk and single to open the top of the seventh the Cougars one-run lead would vanish in the seventh as KCK benefitted off Barton's lone error scoring a leadoff hit-by-pitch sending the game to extras tied 4-4.
Unable to make work of a leadoff walk in the eighth, Bryan Bartels worked out of a two on and no-outs situation stranding runners at second and third recording back-to-back strikeouts before Sanchez logged an exciting catch just beyond the outfield grass keeping the game knotted.
Unable to produce a two out rally in the top of the ninth succeeding a two-out Jaron Cotton plunking and Hunter Seier single, the Cougars would finally breakthrough in the top of the 10th. A leadoff Robby Bolin double, Silva sacrifice bunt and Sanchez intentional walk brought up Wiley, dispatching the 1-2 pitch over the left field fence for his second home run of the year.
KCK would manage to get the leadoff man aboard with a single in the home 10th before Hunter Jones sat the next three batters faced down on strikeouts. Jones notched his second victory of the season improving to 2-0 following his two-innings of work scattering two hits, no runs and punching out five Blue Devils in the eight faced.
Starter David Stuart struck out six in the no-decision effort working six-inning allowing three runs, two earned on four hits and walked three before departing in the top of the seventh.
Game 2 Recap
Barton would set out to another 4-0 lead in the nightcap with Wiley driving in a pair in the top of the first while adding another in the fourth following Bolin's second inning RBI double.
Left with a no-decision after leaving in line for the victory, starting hurler Tegan Cain was lights out on the mound allowing just four baserunners over his five innings worked. The sophomore righty surrendered just three hits, allowing one walk, and sending back six Blue Devils over 83-pitches.
KCK hammered out six of their nine hits in the bottom of the sixth all coming with two-outs while capitalizing behind a pair of hit-by-pitches and walk to mount a seven-run frame gaining their first lead of the series and clinch the doubleheader split.
Relievers Ivan Cox and Brett Allen were touched up for seven runs and six hits while Dryden Howse worked the final out in the sixth with a strikeout to the lone batter faced.
Held to just seven hits, Sanchez and Wiley led the hit production each recording 2-for-4 performances with Wiley knocking in four of his seven RBIs in the finale.