Mixing up the lineup was just what the 9th ranked Barton Community College baseball team needed as the bats exploded while starting hurlers Tegan Cain and Reece Hemmerling supplied the rest allowing just one run in Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Seward County Community College at Brent Gould Field.
The Cougars started the afternoon producing 23 runs off 19 hits of which 11 for extra bases including a pair of three-run home runs by Quinton Robertson and Dryden Howse earning a 23-1 fifth inning run-rule victory before pitching their fourth shutout win of the season in the series finale 6-0.
Clinching their fourth straight conference victory, Barton sits atop the Jayhawk West standings with a mark of 14-2 at the midway point and 35-4 overall while the Saints drop from second to fifth in the league standings now sitting at 11-9 and 21-21 on the season.
Amidst a four-game road-trip the Cougars will head to El Dorado, KS Thursday to open a four-game weekend set against the second place 10-6 and 23-14 Grizzlies of Butler Community College in a 1:00 p.m. twin bill before concluding the series next Saturday at Lawson-Biggs Field.
Several Cougars had big days at the plate in the final two games of the four-game series with the Saints.
Center fielder Riley Silva had a huge day going a combined 6 for 10 with 3 doubles, a triple and seven RBIs, concluding the four-game series hitting 11 of 17 (.647) at the plate legging out four doubles, one triple and driving in eight runs.
Shortstop Ricardo Sanchez was 3 for 10 with a double, triple and five RBIs.
Game 1 Recap
Barton scored at least two runs in each of their five turns at the plate. Six Cougars had at least two hits in the game with eight different players recording an RBI.
Silva and Sanchez, Barton's Nos. 1 and 2 hitters in the lineup, were a combined 8 for 10 with six runs scored and 10 RBIs.
Silva went a perfect 5 of 5 with three doubles, six RBIs and four runs scored. He had a RBI single in the second and sixth innings, and two run producing doubles in the third and fifth. Sanchez was 3 for 5 with a double and triple, two runs scored and four RBIs. He had a RBI triple in the first, two RBI double in the second and fifth inning RBI groundout.
Robertson delivered the first three-run home run in Barton's six run second-inning for his second-round tripper of the season. He also added a one-run single in the fourth inning.
Howse airmailed the Cougars second three-run fence clearer in the nine run fourth for his third of the year.
Henry Hayman was on base in all four plate appearances, going 2 for 2 with an RBI.
Cain improved his record to 5-1 with a complete game performance. The Ellis, KS native allowed one run on three hits, walking one and striking out five over 69-pitches.
Game 2 Recap
Two Cougars combined to toss nine scoreless innings holding the Saints lineup to just three hits.
Hemmerling tossed a gem on the mound going seven innings scattering two hits, one walk and recorded a new career high nine strikeouts, improving to 5-0 on the season.
Ivan Cox worked the final two scoreless innings in relief with a hit and walk surrendered while sending four Saints down on strikes.
Barton's lone run needed came with a two-out rally in the top of the first as back-to-back Robby Bolin and Robertson walks furnished a Howse RBI single.
Ayden Blachowicz extended the Cougar lead in the third with a double to left driving around a one-out Bolin single and Howse two-out walk
Gifted by a pair of errors and Owen Bailey single extending his hit streak to nine straight games, the Saints third error of the sixth pushed across a fifth run before a Bailey one out single raced home on Silva's first pitch swinging triple in the eighth.