Sophomore Ayden Blachowicz drove in a career-high five runs to lead the 8th ranked Barton Community College baseball team to an opening 12-1 run-rule victory over Hutchinson Community College in five innings.
The Blue Dragons fought off a late rally in Game 2 earning a 9-7 victory over the Cougars to split the first two games of the four-game set Thursday afternoon at Hobart-Detter Field.
The series will conclude Saturday afternoon shifting to Barton's Lawson-Biggs Field for a 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. scheduled doubleheader.
Entering the day with a four-game lead in the Jayhawk West standings, the split trims Barton's lead to three games at 20-6 in the KJCCC and 41-8 on the season while the Blue Dragons move into a fifth-place tie with a mark of 15-11 and overall record of 27-23.
Game 1 Recap
Dryden Howse opened the scoring in the top of the first producing the first of back-to-back doubles bringing in Riley Silva's one out single. Blachowicz started his big day with the first of his five driven in lacing the seventh pitch of the at-bat to left plating Howse.
Back-to-back one out hits in the bottom of the first generated the Blue Dragons lone run coming on a Will Edmunson double and Cody Gunderson single.
Blachowicz added to the Barton lead in the top of the third driving in a pair with single up the middle after loading the bases with no outs on Silva and Ricardo Sanchez singles and a Howse plunking by pitch.
Putting the game on ice in the fourth, the Cougars sent 11 batters to the plate, scoring seven runs on four hits. Bolin, Sanchez each produced RBI singles with Blachowicz driving in two more before Quinton Robertson cleared the fences for the fourth time of the year with a two-run shot to right.
Howse put the final touches on the victory in the top of the fifth dispatching his team leading sixth home run over the right field fence.
Allowing two of his three hits in the opening inning, starter David Stuart (5-3) settled in on the mound tossing his third complete game of the season giving up just one run and striking out four to earn his fifth victory of the year.
Game 2 Recap
Held without a baserunner through the first turn of the lineup and dug into an 8-0 hole, the Cougars started the uphill climb in the top of the fourth with Bolin pouncing on the first pitch of the inning sending it over the center field wall for his fourth home run of the season. Robertson trimmed the deficit to 8-3 with a two-out single driving in a Silva single and two out Blachowicz walk.
Hutchinson responded in the home fourth as a leadoff double and two out double made it 9-3 Blue Dragons.
Adding a run in the fifth as a leadoff Grant Nottlemann double raced home on a passed ball, the freshman resumed the scoring in the sixth delivering the first of two straight RBI singles scoring Robertson's leadoff single with Bolin adding the second run knocking in Jaron Cotton's hit-by-pitch. Sanchez drew the Cougars within a pair with two outs lacing the third run producing single making it 9-7.
Putting the tying run at the plate over the next two innings but unable to cut into the lead, Barton battled one final time in the ninth as a leadoff Howse walk had the Cougars in business. Back-to-back fielder choices and Cotton two out plunking placed the tying run on with the opportunity escaping as a strikeout spoiled the comeback bid.
Starter Owen Reynolds (8-1) suffered his first loss of the season lasting 2 1/3 innings allowing seven hits, six runs (five earned) and striking out one.
Tyrus Riley logged big innings out of the bullpen going 5 innings allowing one run on two hits, walked two and struck out two.
Entering with a runner on in the eighth Bryan Bartels went 2/3 innings allowing one hit and striking out one to escape trouble.