The Barton Community College baseball team took the opening pair of games 2-1 and 10-7 Saturday in its three-game set hosting North Iowa Area Community College.
Barton improves 16-2 on the year with the Trojans slipping to 4-12. The teams return to Lawson-Biggs Field on Saturday to wrap up its series with a 1:00 p.m. nine inning contest.
The Cougar pitching staff scattered twelve hits in the sixteen innings played, offsetting four NIACC home runs with 20 strikeouts.
Game 1 Recap
Owen Reynolds was masterful in game one, pitching a complete game 4-hit outing in striking out eight with no walks improving to 4-0 on the year.
Barton grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fourth behind a pair of Ayden Blachowicz and Jaron Cotton walks to lead off the frame in later putting the run across the dish on a dropped strike.
Reynolds had the Trojans to their final strike in the seventh until John Doty connected on full-count left fence clearer tying it up.
Robby Bolin reached base to lead off the home half via the badge of honor, Riley Silva followed with a ground ball, with Ricardo Sanchez capping off his 2-3 performance delivering the game winning walk-off hit.
Game 2 Recap
In the nightcap, NIACC jumped out to a 3-run lead getting one-out home run in the first before a one-out walk and double would score on a wild pitch in the second frame.
Barton knotted it up in the home half with Chandler Miller's walk and Grant Nottlemann's single setting up the inning, one scoring on an error and the other scoring on Bolin's triple. Silva followed a batter later with a sac fly for the 3-all tie.
David Stuart settled in to strike out six in his four innings, giving way to Reece Hemmerling for the fifth.
Hemmerling got the first two Trojans out but then back-to-back Alex Berreth and Bennett McCollow home runs put the visitors back up 5-3.
Quiet into the sixth, Nottlemann led off with a double in scoring on Bolin's single for the first of Barton's four-run frame. Following Silva's walk, Bolin scored on a wild pitch with Silva scoring later on Sanchez' fielder's choice with Howse capping the inning on a sac fly.
Into the seventh, a one-out Nottlemann walk followed by Hunter Seier's single would lead to a 9-5 lead as Bolin drove the pair home on a double as Silva gave the Cougars another tally with a sac fly.
The Trojans made a final push in the ninth, stringing a walk and double before an RBI single would chase reliever Brian Bartels. Hunter Jones induced a sac fly before closing out the rally with a strikeout and fly out.
Hemmerling's three innings of four strikeouts and scattering three hits improved to 3-0 on the year with Jones recording his first collegiate save.
Bolin led the Cougars' offense with a 3-4, including a double and triple leading to a career high 4-RBI performance with Nottlemann finishing 2-3 and Silva driving in his pair of runs on sac flies.