For the second consecutive day, the Barton Community College baseball team completed a doubleheader sweep over Western Nebraska Community College Monday afternoon at Jimmy Lawson-Danny Biggs Field.
Held to just one hit in the opener, the Cougars benefitted behind five walks and two hit batsmen to earn a 4-1 series clinching victory. Going for the sweep in the nightcap, Barton rallied from an early 1-0 deficit, scoring three unanswered while gaining the separation needed producing a three-run sixth and two-run seventh for an 8-5 game two win in sweeping the series for the eighth straight time over WNCC.
Notching their 28th straight win in the series, the Cougars move their early season record to 6-1 while Western Nebraska heads home for their home opener falling to 1-7 overall.
Barton will head on the road for a three game weekend series at Kansas City Kanas Community College. First pitch of the three-game set opens Friday with a 3:00 p.m. first pitch before concluding the series Saturday with a 12:00 p.m. doubleheader.
Game 1 Recap (W 4-1)
Making just his second career start, Freshman Bradley Feezer set the tone from the beginning tossing all seven innings allowing one run on five hits and struck out five to improve to 2-0 on the season.
The Cougars grasped a three-run lead in the second taking advantage of three walks, two hit-by-pitches and WNCC error. Loading the bases following Ayden Hadley's leadoff plunking, Cole Scheiffer's walk and Hunter Seier's one-out hit-by-pitch, the first of two Western Nebraska errors in the game would push two runs across with Cooper Tabor reaching base.
Grant Nottleman extended the lead to 3-0 drawing an RBI walk ensuing Robby Bolin's walk to reload the bases.
In the fourth inning, the duo of Bolin and Nottleman struck again extending the lead to 4-0, with Bolin's one-out triple providing to be the lone Cougar hit of the game scoring on Nottleman's RBI groundout.
Feezer's shutout bid in the top of the seventh would get spoiled on Shintaro Inoue's leadoff home run resting the final score 4-1.
Game 2 Recap (W 8-5)
Trailing 1-0 through two innings, the Cougars capitalized on the first of three WNCC mistakes producing the tying run in the third with Trent Reitmayer's leadoff hit-by-pitch scoring on the backside of Bolin's double. Two batters later Owen Clyne pushed the Cougars in front 2-1, with an RBI single.
Clinging to a 3-1 lead entering the sixth, WNCC evened things at 3-3, piling a trio of singles plating one and adding the tying run on a double steal.
Drawing a trio of walks in the sixth to load the bases with two outs, the fourth walk drawn by Jarron Cotton bought in the go-ahead run with Clyne's two-RBI single following capping the three-run response and pushing the lead to 6-3.
Barton grew the lead to 8-3 adding two more insurance runs in the seventh powered behind a pair of WNCC errors and Cesar Gomez sacrifice fly for the freshman's first collegiate RBI scoring Owen Bailey's one-out single.
Fashioning a run in the eighth, WNCC provided one final comeback attempt in the ninth pushing across a run and loading the bases all with two-outs with the placing the tying run at first and go-ahead run at the plate. Calling upon Colton Wahlstrom, the sophomore closer needed just two-pitches to notch the final out shutting the door on Western Nebraska's comeback bid for his second save of the season.
Making his first collegiate start, Ethan Minaker earned a no-decision effort pitching 4.0 innings allowing one run on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
Reece Hemmerling collected his first victory of the season coming out of the bullpen tossing 3.0 innings, scattering four hits, two runs and striking out six.
Pounding out 10 hits in the nightcap, four Cougars turned in two-hit performances led by Clyne's 2-for-5 day with three-RBIs. Bolin, Hadley and Bailey concluded the two hit outings.