Cougar Baseball spilts opening half of Pratt series #GoBarton

Written by: Alex Hammeke

The Barton Community College baseball team split its' doubleheader Friday afternoon with Pratt Community College. The Cougars powered through the opener for an 8-3 victory, with the Beavers sixth inning rally keying the difference maker in the nightcap 5-4.

The outcome moves the Cougars to 11-11 in Jayhawk West play and find themselves at 24-15 on the year while the split jumps the Beavers into the eighth spot in the west at 5-17 and 10-24 on the season.

The two teams will be back in action tomorrow as the series shifts to Stanion Field in Pratt. First pitch of the scheduled doubleheader is slated for 1:00 p.m.

Game One Recap:
Barton rode three straight two-out knocks to open the scoring as Connor Allen's single drove in a Carson Pracht single and Connor Scott double giving the Cougars an early 2-0 advantage.

Starter Graham Brunner took advantage of the early run support settling in on the bump holding the Beavers in check. Brunner's lone jam came in the top of the third as Pratt's Brenden Tauber led the inning off with a triple. The southpaw looked to have escaped trouble fanning two of his games' six strikeouts but a Cougar miscue trimmed the lead in half at 2-1.

Back-to-back Wade Reynolds and Pracht doubles to open the bottom of the third jumped Barton back in front by a pair at 3-1.

Looking to piece together the knockout punch, Shawn Marquis opened a crooked four inning for the Cougars drawing a leadoff hit-by-pitch. Back-to-back singles from Ethan Haufler and Colter Maldonado juiced the bases. One batter later, Reynolds needed just one pitch blasting a no-doubter out of Lawson-Biggs Field ballooning the Barton lead to six at 7-1 for his fourth homerun of the season.   

Alex Rodgers would tack on another insurance run in the sixth scoring on a Beaver wild pitch after drawing a one-out walk.

Pratt's Marcello Aguirre added the game's final runs trimming the final margin to 8-3 sending a two-run blast to left in the seventh. 

Game Two Recap:
Pratt and Barton traded runs to start the first inning. Carson Cheatwood would give Ian Lanik a rude awakening making his first collegiate start on the hill, send the first pitch to left giving the Beavers the early 1-0 lead. The Cougars countered with back-to-back Rodgers and Reynolds singles knotting it up at 1-1 after the opening frame.

Rodgers would give Barton the lead at 2-1 following Maldonado's leadoff triple to open the third.

Lanik settled into a rhythm on the mound, working four straight scoreless frames while fanning five Beavers and surrendering just one hit through the second and fifth innings. The righty-encountered misfortune in the sixth following a Devon Nicholson leadoff single as a dropped third strike prolonged the inning leading to a Beaver four spot. Tauber's big day continued for Pratt lacing the go-ahead 2-RBI double followed up by a Chase Veatch single plated two more as the Beavers stretched the lead to 6-2.

Searching for a rally the Cougars would respond in the home half as Pracht plunked by pitch sparked the first of three straight baserunners. Succeeding a Scott double, Allen pulled Barton to within two driving home Pracht. The Cougars clawed to within one, seven pitches later on Austin Gerety's sacrifice fly capping the three-run inning.

The Barton pitching staff gave the Cougars a chance, as Hunter Hesseltine and Carson Cornelius held the Beavers hitters at bay down the stretch allowing just one hit over the final three frames.

Allen provided the tying run with a leadoff single in the eight. Unfortunately missed opportunities proved costly for the Cougars' as the tying run remained stranded at second ending the Barton threat