Cougars open 2026 season with Opening Day doubleheader sweep #GoBarton

The Barton Community College baseball team delivered an Opening Day sweep Friday afternoon over Rose State College at Raider Baseball Field, rolling to an 11-1 six-inning run-rule victory in the opener before rallying for an 8-3 win in 11 innings in the nightcap.

The Cougars experienced a tale of two games on Opening Day, blowing the opener open with a 10-run fourth inning before needing a ninth-inning rally and extra frames to close out the sweep.

With the sweep, Barton opens the season at 2-0, extending its Opening Day winning streak to nine straight games, while Rose State drops to 0-3 on the year. The four-game series continues Saturday afternoon with the final two game of the set, beginning at 12:00 p.m. at Raider Baseball Field.

Timely hitting carried the Cougars throughout the afternoon, with big swings in the opener and clutch hits late in Game 2. JJ Spafford led the way, driving in multiple runs in both contests while totaling seven RBIs on the day, including a two-run home run in the opener and clutch two-RBI singles during the ninth-inning rally and decisive 11th inning of Game 2. Kyler Horsman added three RBIs in Game 1 and enforced the run-rule victory with a two-out solo home run in the sixth inning.

On the mound, Barton's hurlers pieced together a strong afternoon, limiting the Raiders to just four runs across 17 innings of work. The Cougars needed just two arms to control the opener, highlighted by starter Braden Hauschel's four-strong innings, yielding one run on three hits and two strikeouts. In the nightcap, Barton turned to five arms through 10 innings before Jack Dilley closed out the sweep, working out of early trouble in the 11th by striking out the side after allowing a leadoff double and walk.

Game 1 Recap
Barton blew the game open with a decisive 10-run fourth inning, sending 14 hitters to the plate. Horsman opened the scoring with a two-RBI single, followed by Hayden Oviatt's two-run double and a bases-clearing double from Jack Jewell. Spafford delivered a two-out, two-run home run to left, followed by Kyle Walker's two-out RBI double as the Cougars built a 10-1 advantage through four.

Horsman enforced the run-rule in the sixth inning with his third RBI, with a two-out solo home run, the fifth of his career, sealing the 11-1 victory.

Reliving Hauschel, Eli Lang worked the final two innings, permitting one hit and one walk to close out the opener.

Game 2 Recap
Game 2 turned into a grind, with Barton managing just two hits through the first eight innings, both coming in the second inning to grab an early 1-0 lead on Spafford's run producing single. Rose State broke through in the bottom of the sixth to take a 3-1 lead after three straight singles to open the frame, followed by a run-producing groundout and a pair of Cougars miscues that resulted in the third run.

Down to its final two outs, Barton sparked life in the ninth inning with back-to-back one-out singles from Oviatt and Kyle Graves before Jewell's drawn walk loaded the bases. Following an infield fly, Spafford came through again, tying the game with a first-pitch, two-out, two-RBI single.

The Cougars broke the game open in the 11th inning, sending nine hitters to the plate. One-out walks from Graves and Carter Helm, followed by Bruin Sampson reaching on an error, loaded the bases before Spafford delivered again in the clutch with another two-RBI single on an 0-2 count. A pair of Raider errors plated two additional runs, while Walker added the final insurance with a sacrifice fly to cap the five-run frame.

Utilizing five pitchers in Game 2, sophomore Landon Haines, took a no-decision while making his first career start. Haines worked four shutout innings allowing two hits and one walk while striking out a career-high seven. After Rose State moved in front in the fifth, Antonio Mendez, Horsman, and Dilley combined to hold the Raiders scoreless over the final six innings, surrendering just four hits and two walks while striking out eight to keep Barton within striking distance before the late rally.