Cougar baseball splits for second straight day at Dodge City

Splitting Saturday's doubleheader, the Barton Community College baseball team split another doubleheader today in Dodge City as the teams concluded their weekend series.  It took extra innings in game one as Dodge City got a two-out walk-off two-run homerun to win 10-8.  The Cougars bounced back in the second game with a big five-run fifth inning to win the nightcap 5-2. The split takes the Cougars to 22-17-1 on the season and 9-11 in conference play while Dodge City moves to 25-15 overall and 13-11 in Jayhawk play.  Barton's next action will be Thursday as the Cougars step out of conference play for a 5:00 pm. nine-inning game at Lawson-Biggs Field against Brown Mackie College. 

Game One
Braxon Byfield gave the Cougars and early 1-0 lead with a two-out double to center scoring Jacob Richardson who led off the game with a single.  Jayme Lovelace was cruising on the mound until Dodge City got a back-to-back double and single to tie it in the fifth.

The Conquistadors would chase Lovelace in the sixth, getting a single and consecutive doubles to take a 3-1 lead.  Jordan Plank replaced Lovelace but a two-out home run by Trent Troxell built the Dodge City lead out to 5-1 headed to the final inning.

A Dodge City infield error allowed Jace Bowman to reach to begin the seventh.  Fighting off three two-strike pitches, Caleb Cherryholmes came up with a single to right field then was followed by Evan McDonald's bases loading single to left.

Pinch hitter Bryce Minor kept the no-out rally rolling driving home two on a single to center. Jacob Richardson reloaded the bases with a single to center setting up Trevor Turner's two run double to center field to tie it.  Scott Tyler then delivered the go-ahead run with a sac fly to right field to score Richardson.

Looking to earn his first save of the year, Tanner Shoemaker couldn't hold off the Conquistadors as Dodge used a single, sac bunt, and single to center to tie it at six.  

Barton couldn't get the big hit in the extra frame getting the benefit of a two-out error and walk to send the game to the home half still tied at six.   Coming in to work the eight, Andrew Ferguson looked to be out the inning getting the first two Conquistadors out including a strikeout.  Burying Dodge's Nick Ragias in a 0-2 hole, Ferguson threw two consecutive balls before sending Ragias to first base via hit by pitch.   Down to their last strike in consecutive batters, the Conquistadors' Jerry Lacayo became big man on campus sending a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall for a walk-off two-run homerun.  

The loss was the first on the season for Ferguson, dropping the sophomore from Overland Park to 3-1 on the season.

Game Two
Barton had a slow start in game two, trailing 1-0 into the fifth inning before Evan McDonald got the first Barton hit and kick-started a five run inning.  Liking the first pitch the freshman from Missouri saw, McDonald doubled to right field to lead off the inning. Following a Kyle Cromwell sacrifice, Jacob Richardson tied the game singling to center then Scott Tyler gave the Cougars the lead with a two-out single to right field.  Braxon Byfield kept the inning alive with a double to left field setting up Grant Watkins who delivered a full-count pitch over the right field wall giving Barton a 5-1 lead. 

Winning pitcher Brandon Mercer improved to 4-4 on the season but ran into a little trouble in the home half of the fifth as the Conquistadors took advantage of two walks and a hit batsman to get one run back.  Craig Hamil pitched a scoreless sixth and Alexander Evans worked the seventh to earn his seventh save of the season.