The 9th ranked Barton Community College baseball team scored 21 runs and the Cougar pitching staff allowed one run and struck out a combined 14 batters over 11-innings to complete a sweep of the Tabor College junior varsity squad on Tuesday afternoon at Lawson-Biggs Field.
Henry Hayman drove in a trio of runs and starter Aidan Sowers struck out a new career high 10 over his six-inning complete game shutout to lead Barton to a 10-0 victory in six innings in Game 1. Ricardo Sanchez and Riley Silva produced back-to-back two-RBI hits highlighting a seven-run bottom of the fourth helping Barton finish off an 11-1 fifth-inning run rule victory in the nightcap.
Winners of nine straight, the Cougars sit at 32-3 overall while the Blue Jays slip to 7-9-1 on the season. Barton will return to Jayhawk West play Thursday opening the first leg of the weekend four set with conference foe Seward County Community College in a 1:00 p.m. first pitch from Lawson-Biggs Field.
Game 1 Recap
Leading 1-0 after two innings following Hayman's run producing groundout bringing home a leadoff Aydan Blachowicz single, the Barton offense broke through with a four run third. Aided by a Silva hit-by-pitch and pair of Robby Bolin and Robertson walks, a first pitch swinging Blachowicz single to right brought home a pair. Two pitches later a Tabor wild pitch added to the lead scoring Robertson with Hayman legging out the first of his two extra base hits with a two-out triple racing home Blachowicz stretching the lead out to 5-0.
Increasing the lead by a run on Sanchez single in the fourth scoring Bolin, Sanchez fabricated the first of three run producing doubles with two-outs in the bottom of the sixth bringing around Austin Nitcher's leadoff single. Robertson dispersed the second run producing double lacing a 1-0 pitch to left with a Dryden Howse RBI single setting up Hayman's walk off run producing double capping the 10-0 run-rule victory.
Making his third start of the season, Sowers (3-0) was locked in on the mound as the lefty squandered just two hits over his six-inning shutout, walking a pair and setting a new career high 10 strikeouts in way of earning his second victory of the season.
Game 2 Recap
Barton needed just two innings to produce 11 runs in the nightcap.
Scoreless after an inning, a leadoff Howse single, the first of three Grant Nottlemann hits and Hunter Seier drawn hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with one-out in the home second. Starting in just his sixth game of the year, Jackson Herbel broke open the scoring lacing his first collegiate double down the left field line for a 2-0 lead. Barton's lead grew by a pair on a Blue Jay passed ball and Sanchez succeeding sacrifice fly coating the four-run inning.
Back-to-back leadoff singles in the top of the fourth plated the lone Tabor run with the Cougars answering with the dagger sending 11 to the plate and scoring seven in the bottom half. Silva distributed his lone hit of the day driving in a pair with a double to left field after three straight Nottlemann, Seier, and Jackson Herbel singles loaded the bases initiating the inning.
Sanchez added to the scoring three pitches later producing his third hit of the day driving in a pair while tagging up and scoring on Blachowicz sacrifice fly. A Tabor wild pitch brought home a Jaden Wiley walk with Nottlemann's team leading fourth triple concluding the scoring bringing around Cole Schieffer.
Nathan Bowman (2-0) made his second career start and earned his second victory of the season working four innings scattering four hits, a run and fanning four Blue Jays.
Howse worked a scoreless fifth allowing a leadoff single before inducing a game ending double-play.