After surviving one elimination game of the Region VI/Plains District Tournament on Friday evening, the 6th ranked Barton Community College baseball team saw its historic season come to an end Saturday afternoon at Eck Stadium.
Holding a 2-1 lead heading into the seventh inning, Kansas City Kansas erupted for seven runs in the final three innings as the Cougars fell 8-2.
Recording the most wins in program single season history, the Cougars finished the 2023 season with an impressive mark of 51-10 while KCK improved to 39-22 before falling to Cowley in the nightcap 4-1.
Trailing 1-0 through one inning, Barton struck for the tying run just two hitters in as a leadoff plunking to Henry Hayman and wild pitch advanced Hayman into scoring position with Grant Nottlemann distributing out one of his two hits on the afternoon to draw even, 1-1.
Locked in a pitcher's duel with Blue Devils Alan Mercado making his first start of the season and Cougar starter Aidan Sowers, the score would stand at 1-all over the next two frames.
Making just his fifth start of the season and second start since April 3rd, Sowers escaped his biggest trouble of the day in the fifth, recording his biggest of his six strikeouts leaving the bases loaded following a two-out single, walk and hit-by-pitch.
Riding the momentum into the home fifth, Barton grasped their final lead of the day and season, 2-1 on Ayden Blachowicz go-ahead run producing groundout scoring Riley Silva's leadoff single, advance to third off Robby Bolin's perfectly executed hit-and-run.
Getting the opening two outs in the top of the seventh, Blue Devils Jett Buck would send all momentum to the KCK dugout providing the first of five hits over the final three frames providing the tying run with a solo home run to left field.
Following a quiet home seventh, KCK took the lead for good as a leadoff single, walk, and 1-out walk loaded the bases with the go-ahead and eventual winning run crossing off Matthew Buffington's sacrifice fly.
KCK put the game out of reach in the ninth sending all nine to the plate and scoring five times highlighted behind Christian Ammann's three-run home run.
Held hitless since the sixth inning, Jaden Wiley tried to piece one final rally attempt with a two-out single in the ninth before a fielder's choice ended it.
Sowers earned a no-decision working six strong innings yielding three hits, one run, walking three and striking out six. Bryan Bartels tossed an inning allowing one run off one hit. Reece Hemmerling (6-2) suffered the loss pitching 1/3 inning. Hunter Jones went 2/3 innings with Kade Walker operating the final inning.
Nottlemann furnished two of the Cougars eight hits turning in a 2-of-4 day with an RBI. Quinton Robertson produced the lone extra base hit for Barton with a leadoff double in the fourth. Bolin, Silva, Wiley, Ricardo Sanchez, Dryden Howse concluded the Cougar hits each with a single.