Barton Baseball completes sweep of North Iowa Area with eighth-inning surge #GoBarton

The Barton Community College baseball broke a 5-all tie with five runs in the eighth inning Saturday afternoon to complete its' three game sweep of North Iowa Area Community College Saturday afternoon at Lawson-Biggs Field.

Improving to 17-2 on the year while NIACC drops to 4-13 overall, the Cougars will set their sights to Thursday's 1:00 p.m. conference opening doubleheader at Colby Community College before concluding the second leg of the four game set Saturday at 1:00 p.m. from Lawson-Biggs Field.

Jumping out to a 5-2 lead after starting pitcher Tegan Cain held the Trojan bats at bay over 5.2-innings surrendering just two runs on four hits, walking a pair and striking out seven, the NIACC bats would get to the Cougar bullpen in the top of the eighth scoring a trio of runs to draw even at 5-apiece.

A Barton answer would come in the home eighth as a hit-by-pitch and trio of walks pushed across the go-ahead run on Ayden Hadley's four balls taken. An Ayden Blachowicz RBI groundout and wild pitch ensuing grew the Cougar lead to three with Jaron Cotton roping a run producing double capped behind an RBI Dryden Howse single.

The Trojans would generate a two-out RBI groundout behind a leadoff walk and single to open the inning with Ivan Cox clamping down spoiling any late rally attempt inducing a fly-out to center for the final out securing his first collegiate win. Entering for Tyrus Riley in the seventh, Cox worked the final two innings allowing one run on two hits with a strikeout and walk.

Cotton and Howse turned in a pair of 3-for-4 performances at the plate with Howse knocking in two and Cotton scoring one.