The 7th ranked Barton Community College baseball team held off a ninth inning Cardinal rally Wednesday afternoon defeating Labette Community College 8-7 in the opening round of the Central District/Region VI Playoffs at Lawson-Biggs Field.
Starting pitcher David Stuart grinded through 5 1/3 innings for his seventh win of the season while Dryden Howse, Quinton Robertson, and Henry Hayman turned in two hit performances while driving in two runs each.
The victory improves the Cougars to 48-8 overall eclipsing the 2017-18 win total of 47 for the most wins in the program's single season history while the loss drops the Cardinals to 20-31 overall. Due to potential rain forecasted throughout the day Thursday, Game 2 of the best-of-3 opening round series has been pushed up to a 11:00 a.m. first pitch.
Game Recap
Labette plated the opening run in the top of the first as a pair of walks and double loaded the bases with one out forming Wil McCombs RBI single.
Down in order in the bottom of the first and striking out a trio of times through the first four batters, Ayden Blachowicz dispersed the first of eight hits by the Cougars with a double to left before racing home for the tying run on the first of two run producing Robertson singles.
Sending eight to the plate in the bottom of the third, Barton soared out to their first lead as a Ricardo Sanchez double brought home a leadoff Robby Bolin walk with the lead increasing two batters later on Robertson's second RBI single in as many innings making it 3-1.
Loading the bases with no outs to open the fifth behind a Howse single, Blachowicz walk and Cardinal error allowing Robertson to reach, Grant Nottlemann supplied the first of three runs with a sacrifice fly. Two pitches later Hayman widened the gap with two more lashing a double to left for a 6-1 advantage.
In the top of the seventh, Labette's Jared Mack strung one of his six hits launching a solo shot to left with three singles ensuing pushing around an additional run capping the two-run response to cut the lead to three, 6-3.
Benefitting behind a one out Bolin single and two out Sanchez walk, Howse distributed an eventual key two run double to left extending the lead back to five, 8-3.
Notching two quick outs in the top of the ninth, a two out walk would spark new life into the Cardinals with back-to-back singles loading the bases. Tregan Hyder needed just one pitch to bring around a pair with Mack making it a one run game two pitches later with a two-RBI single. Moving the tying run to third base on Labette's fifth straight hit, the Barton defense arose in a big way with Silva throwing out the go-ahead runner trying to turn a single into a double ending the Labette rally attempt.
Outhit 19-9, the Cougars limited the Cardinal chances as Labette stranded 15 baserunners to Barton's nine.
Allowing a baserunner in five of his six-plus innings, Stuart (7-3) surrendered just one run scattering seven hits, walking four and striking out five.
Bryan Bartels worked 1 2/3 innings yielding two runs on two hits and striking out three. Hunter Jones tossed 1 2/3 frames permitting four runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out one.
Reece Hemmerling needed just one pitch to get the final out for his first collegiate save despite allowing a single.