GREAT BEND, Kan. (BartonSports.com) – The Barton Community College baseball team got back to their winning ways Tuesday afternoon picking up a pair of run-rule victories over the junior varsity squad of Kansas Wesleyan University, 16-2 and 13-3 at Lawson-Biggs Field.
The Cougars scored in each of their four at-bats in the opener securing a 16-2 victory, before getting four shutout innings from Ethan Minaker in the nightcap while cruising to a five run first inning and doubleheader sweep.
Snapping its’ three-game skid, Barton improves to 8-4 on the season while the losses drop the Coyotes JV squad to 4-2 overall.
In the midst of a seven game homestand, the Cougars will open a three-game weekend series against North Iowa Area Community College Friday with a 12:00 p.m. doubleheader before concluding the series with a 12:00 p.m. first pitch on Saturday.
Four Cougars drove in three or more runs in the twinbill led by Cesar Gomez four while Cooper Tabor, Grant Nottlemann, and Robby Bolin each added a trio of RBIs.
Bolin led Barton’s 26 hits with five, going 5-of-7 with a pair of doubles.
Game 1 Recap (W 16-2)
Eight of the nine starters in the lineup produced a hit in game one with Owen Clyne‘s two-out single furnishing a six run two-out rally, as the next seven Cougars reached base with the big damage coming off Nottlemann and Yetter’s two RBI producing singles building up a 6-0 first inning lead.
Clyne’s second hit of the day drove in Bolin’s first of two doubles with the second of Ayden Hadley‘s three singles capping a two run second and 8-1 lead.
Benefitting behind a third inning leadoff Wyatt Yetter double and back-to-back hit-by-pitches, Bolin’s second double drove in two of the four runs extending the margin to 10, 12-2.
Adding four more runs in the fourth, Nottlemann’s sac-fly drove in his fourth before three straight RBI singles by Gomez, Tabor and Bolin laid things on ice 16-2.
Making his first collegiate start, Anthony Treto (1-1) was solid throughout his 4.0-innings, scoring his first victory yielding four hits, two runs, three walks and striking out six.
Cade Kunz tossed a perfect fifth inning to lock down the victory needing just 11 pitches.
Game 2 Recap (W 13-3)
Barton sent all nine to the plate in the first inning with five coming across the plate fueled behind a trio of Coyotes errors.
Unable to push across a run in the second marking the lone inning of the day without a run produced, a leadoff Kaden Stones plunking and Gomez sacrifice bunt generated a Hunter Seier RBI triple getting Barton’s three run third started. Hank Orr‘s ensuing double drove in the second run while trotting home two batters later on Tabor’s single up the middle stretching the lead to 8-0.
Four singles in the fourth and a pair of Coyote errors fueled five more Barton runs with Stones, Gomez, Trent Reitmayer and Tabor each driving in runs and a passed ball scoring Gomez for a 13-0 lead.
KWU broke up the shutout in the top of the fifth as a one-out error and walk created an RBI double and RBI single before Preston Golden came on to get the final two outs with back-to-back strikeouts stranding two Coyotes.
Allowing back-to-back walks to open the game, Ethan Minaker (1-0) settled in recording three straight strikeouts on his way to a season high seven punchouts over four innings and yielding just one hit coming in the fourth off a one-out infield single.