Barton Baseball battles back for victory at Pratt #GoBarton #RoarCougs

The Barton Community College baseball team erased a little of the past weekend's bad taste with a 5-3 comeback win Tuesday in a non-conference nine inning contest at Pratt Community College.

Barton's victory snapped a three game slide improving to 27-15 on the year while dropping Pratt to 18-25.

The sixth place Cougars (13-11) return to conference play with a four-game series against Butler Community College (12-8, 26-15) beginning Thursday at 1:00 p.m. with the back end of the set shifting to El Dorado on Saturday.

Pratt struck first with a solo first inning run coming on a two-out 2-2 pitch single to drive in the Beavers' leadoff hitter reaching on an error.

The Beavers put two more on the board in the fourth inning with a leadoff hit as Barton committed three of their five errors in the game digging a 3-0 deficit.

The hustle play of Brett Erickson to lead off the seventh set the tone for the Cougars taking over the lead as the sophomore beat out a dropped 3rd strike to first base. Pratt helped the Cougars load the bases in plunking both Noah Geekie and Nolan Riley before sending Billy Coleman to first base on an RBI walk.

Chandler Kelley provided the big hit in the inning lacing a liner to center driving in the tying runs with the Cougars getting the go-ahead run after Jeb Sauer's walk as Brandon Carpenter delivered an RBI single up the middle.

Geekie's single and Riley's walk led off the ensuing eighth inning with the duo pulling a two-out double steal in plating an insurance run three pitches later as the Beavers were snake bitten again on a dropped third strike.

Six Cougar pitchers spent time on the mound with Casey Wulfkuhle's two innings of work recorded as the winning pitcher improving to 2-0 on the season. Joe Richter picked up his second save of the season in mowing down the Beavers in the ninth by striking out the side.