By BRANDON SMITH
Barton Sports Info
The No. 19 Barton Community College baseball team completed its third straight four game conference sweep on Friday afternoon over Pratt Community College at Stanion Field.
The Cougars rallied with the tying run in the seventh forcing extra innings with Tate Blasi's two-run blast with one-out in the eighth providing the difference maker in the 4-2 series clinching victory. In the nightcap, Barton starting pitcher Ethan Minaker twirled his second straight complete game while Hunter Alvord and Kyle Graves drove in three runs each helping complete the sweep of the Beavers 7-2.
Winners of 18-straight, Barton grasps a two-game cushion in the conference standings at 24-4 following No. 23 Cloud County's 7-6 loss at Butler while improving to 35-8 on the season. Pratt meanwhile drops their fifth straight dipping to 5-19 in league play and 12-34 overall.
Next up for the Cougars is Monday's 5:00 p.m. home contest with the junior varsity squad of McPherson College before heading back out on the road Thursday to begin the final conference series of the season at Dodge City Community College.
Keying Barton's offense on the afternoon was Alvord's 3-for-7 performance led behind his team leading 12th home run, a double and four-RBIs.
Blasi turned in the other lone multi-hit afternoon for the Cougars finishing 2-for-7 with the Game 1 home run in extras and two-RBIs, as Barton's offense was limited to just 11 runs on 10 hits after piling up 37 runs on 27 hits just 24-hours prior at Lawson-Biggs Field.
Game 1 Recap
The Cougars quickly jetted out to a 1-0 lead just three batters in on Ayden Hadley's double ensuing Alvord's one-out single.
Maintaining the 1-0 lead through the opening four-innings, the Cougars quickly found themselves down on the scoreboard at 2-1 just three batters into the bottom of the fifth succeeding three straight Beaver hits.
Unable to generate the tying run with runners stranded at the corners to end the sixth, Graves leadoff walk to open the seventh ignited the rally attempt. Cesar Gomez sacrifice bunt attempt and wild pitch moved Graves to third creating Alvord's game tying sacrifice-fly.
Hayden Oviatt's one-out pitch hit in the eighth put the go-ahead run-on base with Blasi's ensuing souvenir pushing the Cougars in front for good behind his seventh home run of the season.
Entering in the sixth, Preston Golden (1-0) was sensational out of the bullpen working three perfect frames in notching his first victory of the season. The sophomore reliever needed just 31 pitches for his nine-outs with four coming on strikeouts for a new career high.
Starting hurler, Owen Pote earned a no-decision in the effort, as the freshman cruised with four shutout innings before yielding three of his four hits in the fifth leading to the pair of runs. Pote concluded the day with 62 pitches thrown and fanning four Beavers.
Game 2 Recap
Scoring would come quickly with each team producing a pair of runs in the first innings.
Alvord's first of two hits in the nightcap gifted Barton an early edge just two batters in, blasting his team leading 12th home run of the season to straight away center field. The lead would increase to 2-0 as Hadley's walk came across on Pratt's loan error of the game extending the inning allowing Wyatt Yetter to reach safely.
Following a two-out two-run single in Pratt's first at-bat, the Cougars stormed back with their own two-out rally in the top of the second as Gomez and Tyler Janssen's walks sparked the rally both coming around on Alvord's double pushing Barton back in front for good at 4-2.
Held in check over the next two innings, the Cougars added the final insurance runs with another two-out rally in the top of the fifth. Hadley's leadoff walk followed with back-to-back Kyle Walker and Blasi singles loaded the bases for Graves bases clearing triple to center field increasing the final margin to 7-2.
Minaker (4-2) the reigning Jayhawk West Pitcher of the Week directed his second straight complete game on 81-pitches. The sophomore south paw scattered seven hits, two runs with one walk and six strikeouts in the winning effort.