Barton baseball christens new turf with twenty-three runs in sweep of Highland #GoBarton #RoarCougs

The Barton Community College baseball team christened its new AstroTurf with a 10-0 and 13-3 run rule shortened pair of victories to sweep Highland Community College Thursday at Lawson-Biggs Field.

Improving to 5-1 on the season, in place of hosting a weekend series due to forecasted winter weather, the nationally receiving votes Cougars will head south to Poteau, Oklahoma, to play a four-pack of games at Carl Albert State College beginning with a Sunday 1:00 p.m. doubleheader followed by Monday's noon twinbill.

The Cougars pounded out twenty-two hits in the twelve innings but were equally impressive on the mound in scattering just five hits.

Zach Curry sailed through the opener with five innings of work striking out nine while allowing just three hits as Patrick McClure closed out the final frame tacking on two more strikeouts.

Easton Smith picked up the back end of the doubleheader win on four strikeouts with two hits in 4.1 innings, turning the ball over to Coleton Crisp to chalk up 1.2 innings getting a strikeout and not allowing a hit.

Five Cougars had multi-hit games, Noah Geekie leading the way in game one driving in three runs, the first pushing across the initial run on the new field to score Andrew Stewart. Geekie would close out Barton's five run second inning with an RBI triple before an RBI groundout plated the first of the Cougars four run clinching sixth.

Harrison Denk and Stewart drove in two runs each from the No. 1 and 2 slot of the lineup, Denk delivering a two out second inning demoralizing double with Stewart following by launching his first career home run on a liner over the left field new fencing. Barton wasn't done in the big inning as Nolan Riley extended the inning a batter further with a single to set up Geekie's run producing three bagger.

Also collecting a pair of hits in the opener, Chandler Bloomer drove home the clinching run with an RBI single after Charlie Peyla's double and Tyler Bandiera plated two runs in following Geekie's RBI ground out.

Geekie's sac fly put the Cougars up a run to begin the nightcap with Bandiera doubling up the lead in the second launching a 1-2 pitch over the wall for a collegiate first. Bandiera added two more to the RBI total in the third on a two out double capping a three-run Barton third.

Highland broke through in the third with a two-out Dalton Burt RBI single up the middle with Peyla's sac fly in the home half matching the run in preceding Bandiera's two run generating double.

Noah Rheinheimer and Adam Schrag led off the fourth inning with singles to set up a five run frame. Stewart drove in the first on a sac bunt and two pitches later the ball was leaving the yard as Riley belted the sophomore's first home run in pushing the lead out to 8-1. Geekie reached on a walk with Peyla singling through the infield as the two would score a batter later on a throwing error resulting in a 10-1 Cougar lead.

A leadoff error and walk preceding a one-out McClellan two RBI single would chase Smith from the game as Crisp would avert further damage with a strikeout and week lineout.

Riley provided the Cougars' answer in the home half driving in two runs on a two out single to reset the margin back to nine.

Table setting the sixth like Rheinheimer and Schrag did in the fourth, Billy Coleman and Braden Carpenter began the inning with singles, moving into scoring position on wild pitch, with Jeb Sauer's first collegiate RBI clinching the game with a plate crossing sac fly.