The Barton Community College baseball team took care of business Tuesday afternoon, rolling to a 16-3 run-rule victory in seven innings over McPherson College JV at TC Construction Field at Bulldog Park.
After scratching across a pair of runs in the second, the Cougars gradually pulled away with a run in the third and two more in the fourth before breaking the game open with a six-run fifth inning. Barton added five additional runs in the sixth to push the margin to run-rule territory, finishing off the victory in the seventh.
The Cougars move to 27-11 overall while McPherson College JV falls to 11-13 on the season. Barton concludes its five-game road trip Thursday in the opening leg of a four-game set against No. 19 Hutchinson Community College with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch from Hobart-Detter Field before wrapping up the series Saturday at Jimmy Lawson-Danny Biggs Field.
Offensively Barton produced 16 runs off 14 hits with five Cougars turning in multi-hit efforts. Rhett Winchester led the way going 3-for-4 with two RBIs while Kyler Horsman, Carter Helm, Karston Wall, and Hayden Oviatt each collected two hits.
Micah McGavran led one of three Barton hitters driving in multiple runs, finishing with three RBIs behind his three-run blast in the fifth for his eighth of the season. Horsman added his team-leading 13th home run in the third while Wall delivered the third long ball of the afternoon with his second of the season, a solo shot in the sixth opening a five-run frame.
The Cougars' pitching staff combined for a season-high 18 strikeouts while limiting McPherson College JV to just four hits, retiring the side in order in four separate innings, including three frames of striking out the side. Daegen Vinduska (2-0) earned the victory in relief, while Drew Koch worked 1.1 scoreless innings and Jack Dilley and Gio Fatino each added shutout frames, with all three recording a strikeout of the side.
Starting pitcher Patrik Ludviks took a no-decision, allowing two runs on two hits over 2.2 innings with a career-best five strikeouts.