Standing eight runners in the series opening 7-2 loss, the Barton Community College baseball team would bounce back against 20th ranked Hutchinson Community College rallying from an eight-run deficit to walk it off on Owen Bailey's sacrifice-fly in the 10th inning for a 10-9 victory and doubleheader split on Wednesday afternoon at Lawson-Biggs Field.
Splitting its seventh doubleheader of the season, the Cougars fall to fifth in the KJCCC West standings at 15-11 and 33-17 overall while the Blue Dragons game one victory secures at least a share of the West title in moving to 25-5 in league play and 40-11 on the season with the series shifting to Hobart Detter Field on Friday for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader in Hutchinson, KS.
Game 1 Recap (L 7-2)
Luis Pimentel-Guerrero's three-run home run in the third inning was a sign of things to come in the opener as the Cougars fell into a hole, they couldn't dig out of with Cooper Wesslund's bases clearing three-run double capping the Blue Dragons six run frame.
The Cougars stranded five of their eight runners on base in the final two innings, including leaving the bases loaded in the sixth.
Breaking through on the scoreboard in the sixth. Back-to-back Robby Bolin and Owen Clyne singles opened the inning with Bailey's one-out hit-by-pitch loading the bases. Cesar Gomez brought the first Cougar run home drawing an RBI walk with Grant Nottlemann's ensuing single cutting Barton's deficit to 6-2 before leaving the bases loaded.
Starter Reece Hemmerling (6-4) went three innings allowing five hits, six runs, with one walk and a strikeout in the loss.
Game 2 Recap (W 10-9 (10))
Trailing 9-1 and held to three hits entering the bottom of the seventh, Barton began to chip away as the second Blue Dragon error of the game prolonged the inning allowing Jaron Cotton to reach with Bolin's bunt single and Clyne's following single both coming home with two-outs to pull within 9-3.
Following Colton Wahlstrom's three-up and three-down eighth inning worked in relief, the momentum carried into the home eighth for the Cougars. Held 0-13 from slots six through nine in the lineup, Wyatt Yetter's eight-hole single began the first of seven straight sent to the plate with two-away.
Bolin's RBI single following Schieffer's walk brought the first run across with Schieffer scoring from third on Bolin's steal of second. Clyne's double for his third hit of the game added a third run across with a Cotton walk bringing the tying run to the plate.
Working the count to 3-2 and looking breaking ball, Bailey drew things even at 9-9 distributing a three-run blast to left center for his first home run of the season capping the two-out six run rally.
Neither team able to break through in the ninth, with the Blue Dragons rolling into an inning ending double-play and Barton stranding Nottlemann's one-out walk, the Cougars once again faced a two on situation in the top of the 10th.
Following back-to-back Hutchinson walks with one-out, Barton reliever Jackson MacWilliams escaped trouble for the second straight inning inducing his second twin killing double-play keeping the Blue Dragons off the scoreboard.
In the bottom of the 10th, Barton loaded the bases with no-outs with Bolin walking, Clyne singling for his fourth hit of the game putting runners at the corners, and Cotton drawing an intentional walk to load them.
Already supplying the game tying three-run home run in the eighth, Bailey needed just two pitches to play heroic once again bringing home the game winning run with a sacrifice fly to center field for his fourth RBI of the game.
Aiden Sowers got the start on the mound and pitched through 4.1-innings, giving up six runs, five earned, walking three and striking out two in the no-decision effort.
MacWilliams (2-1) earned the victory after entering the game in the ninth with one-out generating a pair of inning ending double-plays and walking two.
Anthony Treto, Jordan Bedell and Wahlstrom also pitched out of the bullpen.
Clyne led Barton's 10-hits in the nightcap finishing 4-6 with a double and RBI. Bailey drove in four of the seven Cougar RBIs with his eighth inning game tying three-run home run and eventual game winning sacrifice fly.
Bolin (2-2) and Cotton (1-4) rounded out Barton's RBI performances each driving in one.