Offense stays hot, No. 24 Cougars complete first leg sweep at Garden City #GoBarton

The No. 24 Barton Community College baseball team sustained its offensive frenzy out on the road Thursday afternoon picking up a pair of run rule victories over Garden City Community College at Williams Stadium.

Celebrating his birthday, freshman Kyle Walker distributed a trio of home runs, driving in seven of the 14 runs in Game 1, guiding the Cougars to a series opening six-inning 14-4 run rule victory. Barton then piled up nine runs over the opening two innings while starter Anthony Treto and relievers Kiernan Meredith and Jackson MacWilliams combined to toss a two-hit, 10-strikeout shutout in the 11-0 eight-inning run-rule win in Game 2.

Winners of now 11 straight, the Cougars maintain their first-place lead in the Jayhawk West standings at 18-4 and 29-8 overall while the Broncbusters slide to 5-13 in league play and 16-21 on the season.

Barton will look for its fifth conference series victory on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. as the series shifts locations to Lawson-Biggs Field to begin a five game homestand.

Game 1 Recap
Fresh off a 43-run performance in Tuesday's doubleheader sweep over the junior varsity squad of McPherson College, the Cougar bats picked up right where they left off tagging former Cougar pitcher Bradley Freezer with four runs in the opening frame.

John Connors one-out single brought home the first run of the inning scoring Tyler Janssen's leadoff plunking with Walker distributing his first collegiate home run one batter ensuing scoring Ayden Hadley and Connors singles capping the four-run first inning.

Having the lead sliced to 4-3 after four innings, Barton broke things open in the top of the sixth sending 14 to the plate and scoring 10-runs. Walker keyed the big inning production driving in four behind a pair of home runs in the frame, a leadoff solo-shot and three-run blast while the Cougars also profited off five Garden City freebies and two miscues.

Walker's 4-for-4 and seven RBI performance keyed a trio finishing with multi-RBIs.

Hunter Alvord drove in his pair with a single during the 10-run sixth while Connors added his second run produced a batter later on a sacrifice fly as the duo each fashioned 2-RBIs.

Cesar Gomez supplied the other multi-hit outing going 2-for-4 out of the nine-spot with an RBI, while five other Cougars fashioned a hit.

Starting pitcher Antonio Mendez (5-1) collected the victory, working four-innings scattering eight hits, three runs with five strikeouts.

Landon Haines tossed the final two frames yielding one run off a hit with one walk and striking out one.

Game 2 Recap
Barton orchestrated a quick 2-0 lead after the opening at-bat with Hadley's one-out RBI triple extending his hitting streak to a season long 11-straight games bringing home Alvord's double and coming home on Connors following single.

Kyle Graves RBI triple three batters into the top of the second keyed a trio of extra base hits with Hadley's bases loaded clearing double stringing three straight RBI hits ensued by Connors run fashioning triple and Wyatt Yetter's run scoring single highlighting the seven-run inning and 9-0 advantage.

The Cougars enforced the run-rule in the top of the eighth on Tate Blasi's run producing plunking and Walker's bases loaded walk fashioned behind a trio of Broncbuster walks prior for an 11-0 advantage.

Despite battling early command issues, Treto, the reigning Jayhawk West Pitcher of the Week improved to (4-2) on the year with 6.1-shutout innings allowing two hits, four walks and striking out six. The sophomore allowed no-hits over his first four innings before giving up a leadoff double in the fifth and two-out single in the sixth.

Meredith struck out a batter and induced a groundout for his pair of outs before handing off to MacWilliams for the final frame, as the sophomore permitted a walk while striking out the side in the eighth.

Reigning NJCAA and KJCCC West Player of the Week, Hadley directed the offense going 2-for-3 with a triple, double and four runs driven home for his 14th multi-hit game of the season.

Connors led Barton's 11 hits finishing 3-for-4 at the dish with two RBIs and Graves adding the other two-hit performance with a double and two runs produced.