Starting pitcher Owen Reynolds earned his seventh victory of the season and outfielder Riley Silva had a five hit day to help the 9th ranked Barton Community College baseball team to a Jayhawk West split with Seward County Community College on Thursday at Lawson-Biggs Field.
Falling on the wrong side dropping the opener 4-3, the Cougars built up a nine-run lead in the fifth inning proving to be just enough holding off a late Saints charge clinging to a 12-11 nightcap victory to salvage the doubleheader split.
Having their nine-game win streak snapped, the Cougars still remain atop the KJCCC West standings at 12-2 and 33-4 overall while the Saints had their streak of nine straight spoiled now sitting at 11-7 in league play and 21-19 overall.
The two teams will conclude the four-game set Saturday in Liberal at Brent Gould Field scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader.
Game 1 Recap
Barton had its nine-game winning streak snapped in the opener as the Cougars mustered only four hits against Seward County starter Brian Luna Alvarez, who struck out five in a seven-inning complete game performance.
Barton held a pair of leads with the first coming in the first turn through the lineup as a Silva one-out single and advancement of a two base throwing error jogged home on Ricardo Sanchez RBI groundout.
The lead stayed in the Cougars favor until the top of the third as a two-out solo shot by Cameron Cartwright knotted it up at 1-apiece.
Answering the call in the home fourth, back-to-back one-out Robby Bolin and Silva singles furnished Barton's final two runs with a Sanchez sacrifice fly bringing home Bolin with a wild pitch six pitches later scoring Silva giving Barton a 3-1 lead after three-innings.
In the top of the sixth, the Saints fought back to even it up as a leadoff bunt single created Cartwright's second home run of the day.
Stranding a one-out Sanchez and two-out Blachowicz hit-by-pitch's in the bottom of the sixth, the Saints produced the go-ahead run with a one-out Triston Curless single and steal of second. Before the next pitch, Barton's lone miscue of the game came at a crucial time as a pickoff attempt at third beat the runner before getting away manufacturing the go-ahead run on a two-base error.
The Cougar rally attempt in the home seventh came up short as Henry Hayman's two-out single was washed away with the Saints rolling up a game ending double-play.
Starting hurler, David Stuart (3-2) went the distance for just the second time this season and second time in his career. The sophomore righty finished with a new career high 10 strikeouts allowing five hits and four runs (three earned) suffering his second loss of the season.
Game 2 Recap
0-of-3 in the opener, Quinton Robertson put the Cougars out front first lacing a first pitch swinging single through the right side bringing across Silva's one-out walk.
Locked in a 1-1 deadlock succeeding a two-out wild pitch plating a run in the top of the second, Seward gifted the lead back to Barton in the bottom of the fourth as one of three Saints errors in the contest allowed Robertson to reach to open the inning. Three batters later Howse delivered the first of the five runs scored with a single to right field. The lead quickly increased on Hayman's sacrifice-fly scoring a Blachowicz single with Bolin doubling the margin two batters later legging out his team leading 13th double plating Howse and Owen Bailey's reaching on a fielder's choice. Silva settled the fourth inning scoring making it 6-1 on his lone run produced single to right.
Loading the bases in the bottom of the fifth with one-out, the Cougar lead grew by four as a Saints passed ball pushed across the first marker scoring Robertson's leadoff hit-by-pitch. Hayman added a run fabricating a run producing bloop double while Bailey needing just two pitches to extend his hitting streak to eight straight games with a single through the right-side bringing home Howse and Hayman.
In the top of the sixth, the Saints rallied behind the long ball pounding out a trio of home runs. The inning began with a pinch-hit solo-shot to left with an error prolonging the frame leading to back-to-back home runs on Jaxson Gregg's three-run shot and reigning KJCCC/NJCAA player of the week Elijah Bear's solo-shot to right slicing the lead to 10-8.
Barton separated themselves in the bottom of the seventh extending the lead to 12-8 with Sanchez reaching on an error bringing in Bailey's leadoff hit-by-pitch and Robertson's ensuing sacrifice-fly plating Silva's one-out double.
Seward spotted a three-run response in the top of the eighth with Gregg launching his second three-run home run to left and Saints fourth home run of the game pulling within a run, 12-11.
Entering with a one-run lead in the top of the ninth, Hunter Jones denied the Saints of a comeback attempt stranding a two-out single inducing a pair of fly-outs to secure the Barton win notching his second save of the year.
Reynolds (7-0) pitched 5 1/3 innings allowing four runs (two earned), seven hits, one walk, and fanned six Saints to earn his seventh victory of the season. Brett Allen tossed 1/3 inning allowing two hits, four unearned runs, and walked one. Tyrus Riley tossed 1 1/3 innings giving up three runs on two hits, one walk and striking out three while Ian Cox worked 2/3 innings surrendering one hit.