No. 23 Barton Baseball pounds out run-rule sweep of Butler, salvage series split #GoBarton

A day off and a return to Lawson-Biggs Field would be just what the No. 23 Barton Community College baseball team needed as the Cougars pounded out 29 hits and 30 runs in picking up a pair of run rule victories over Butler Community College 14-4 in five and 16-3 in seven innings on Saturday afternoon.

Bouncing back from a pair of road losses on Thursday, Barton salvages a split of the four-game series with the Grizzlies, improving to 12-4 in league play and 20-8 overall to remain two games back of first place Colby. Dropping the final two games of the series, Butler slides to 9-7 in conference and 17-13 overall.

Next up for the Cougars is Tuesday's non-conference road trip to No. 5 Cowley College for a 2:00 p.m. nine-inning contest before returning home Thursday for the opening two games of a four-game set with the conference leading Trojans of Colby Community College.

Six of the 29 hits were for extra bases including two leaving the yard, the first connection coming on Tate Blasi's three-run first inning home run later topped by Ayden Hadley's sixth inning grand slam, his fifth of the season helping secure the opening game run-rule in five innings.

Blasi, along with freshman Kyle Walker batted .714 on the afternoon as each went 5-for-7 at the dish. Blasi's big day started with a 3-for-4 performance with 4 RBIs in the opener, belting his fifth home run of the season capping the seven run first frame.

In game two the Cougars were knotted up with the Grizzlies 2-2, until the home third when Barton scored three of their 10-unanswered runs over the next two innings breaking the contest open with an additional four runs crossing in the sixth inning.

Walker delivered the big blow in the frame lacing a two-run single for two of his team leading six RBIs finishing 3-for-4 in the nightcap after a 2-for-3 game one performance, following John Connors go-ahead sacrifice fly prior scoring Hunter Alvord's reaching on one of six Butler errors.

Cesar Gomez and Hadley were close behind in batting at a .600 clip, going 3-for-5 with three and five RBIs respectfully. Gomez shook off a 0-for-2 game one performance snapping his season high four game hitting streak with a 3-for-3 series finale and three RBI outing.

With all the offense, Barton received solid starting pitching performances from Owen Pote and Ethan Minaker while relievers Andrew McCarthy and Preston Golden tossed scoreless frames in their inning of work.

Pote improved to 4-2 on the season going the distance in the opener permitting four runs on five hits with a walk and trio of strikeouts. The freshman escaped traffic in the first and second innings inducing twin killing double-plays with a third straight nearly coming in the top of the third.

Bouncing back from his shortest outing of the season, Minaker tossed five innings in collecting the victory moving to 2-2 on the season. The sophomore matched his career high seven strikeouts, scattering seven hits, three runs and a walk.

McCarthy worked a scoreless sixth stranding a one-out hit to go with a strikeout while Golden shut the door with a clean sheet seventh.