Cougars answer in nightcap to earn split at Dodge City, secure series win #GoBarton

The Barton Community College baseball team closed out its four-game set Saturday at Dodge City Community College with a doubleheader split, dropping a 7-5 opener before responding with a 9-2 nightcap victory to secure the series win at Cavalier Field.

After building a three-run lead in the opener, Barton saw Dodge City answer with seven unanswered runs in a 7-5 setback. The Cougars responded in the nightcap jumping out to a four-run first inning behind Kyle Horsman's team-leading two-run home run before adding on in the third and fourth to secure the 9-2 series-clinching victory.

Improving to 26-11 overall and 11-9 in conference play, Barton snapped a five-game losing skid at Cavalier Field while notching its first series victory over Dodge City since 2023. The Conquistadors fall to 14-23 overall and 3-13 in league action. The Cougars continued their six-game road trip Tuesday with a midweek non-conference doubleheader at McPherson College JV before concluding the stretch Thursday in the opening leg of a four-game set with No. 12 Hutchinson Community College.

Over the contests, Barton generated 14 runs on 20 hits, highlighted by five extra-base hits. Kyler Horsman paced the Cougars going 5-for-8 with a home run and team-high seven RBIs while Carter Helm and Rhett Winchester each added multi-hit efforts in the split. Reaching base safely in both contests, Kyle Walker extended his streak to 33 straight games, going 1-for-4 with a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch.

Game 1 Recap
Barton couldn't hang on to an early advantage in the opener, falling 7-5 despite building a multi-lead through the first three innings.

The Cougars stuck first in the opening frame, capitalizing on a Dodge City miscue as Horsman delivered the first of his three RBIs with a single before Helm followed with an RBI knock to gift Barton a 2-0 lead after one.

Barton added on in the third as Helm drove in his second run of the game, bringing home Horsman once again to push the lead to 3-0. The Conquistadors answered in the home half with its first runs of the day, stringing together a three-run inning to knot things up at 3-3 after three frames.

Dodge City grabbed control in the fifth, taking advantage of traffic and a pair of Cougar defensive miscues to plate four runs and build a 7-3 cushion. Down to its final at-bat, Barton made one last push in the seventh as Horsman delivered a two-run triple to pull the Cougars within two, but the rally came up short with the tying run left at the plate.

Barton finished with 10 hits in the opener, led by Horsman's 3-for-4 showing with the triple and three RBIs. Helm added a pair of hits and drove in two, while Winchesterand Kyle Graves each collected two hits as the Cougars generated traffic throughout, but stranded seven runners on base.

On the mound, Brian Justice (3-4) was tagged with the loss, allowing seven runs, four earned, on eight hits over 4.2 innings. Daegen Vinduska provided relief out of the bullpen, tossing 1.1 innings of hitless baseball while issuing one walk.

Game 2 Recap
The Cougars bounced back in the nightcap to secure the series victory, rolling 9-2 behind an early offensive surge and a strong outing on the mound.

Barton wasted no time setting the tone, capitalizing on a Conquistador throwing error that brought home Graves and Winchester before Horsman made it hurt, launching a two-run home run for his team-leading 12th of the season to cap a four-run opening frame.

Dodge City trimmed the deficit in the second behind three hits, but the Cougars responded immediately in the third, stringing together five hits highlighted by RBI knocks from Horsman, Bruin Sampson and Dalton Jorgensen to extend the lead to 7-2. 

Barton added two more in the fourth, capitalizing on a wild pitch and aggressive baserunning to extend the lead to 9-2.

From there, the Cougars turned it over to the pitching staff, which kept the Conquistadors off the board over the final five innings to lock up the series-clinching victory.

Barton's offense remained consistent in the nightcap, producing another 10-hit effort led by Horsman's 2-for-4 performance with a home run and three RBIs. Winchester added two hits and two runs scored while Helm also turned in another multi-hit showing.

Pulling double duty, Horsman earned the win in just his second start of the season, improving to 5-0 after allowing two runs on seven hits over six innings. Jake Field collected his second save of the season, turning in a rare three-inning save while limiting Dodge City to one hit over the final three innings.