By BRANDON SMITH
Barton Sports Info
Miscues in every facet of the game Tuesday afternoon in Salina helped send the No. 19 Barton Community College baseball team to an 11-2 seven-inning shortened loss to Coffeyville Community College in the opening round of the Region 6/Plains District Baseball Tournament.
A misplayed pop fly, unfavorable sure fire double-play and a two-run throwing error began the day at Dean Evans Stadium as the Cougars would never recover.
Dropping to the loser's side of the double-elimination tournament Barton falls to 42-12 on the year and will look to keep the season alive Wednesday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. against the No. 5 seeded Dragons of Hutchinson who fell in the later game to No. 4 seed Cowley College 2-1.
Meanwhile the No. 8 seeded Red Ravens move to 35-18 on the season and will face the Tigers tomorrow evening in the 7:00 p.m. contest for the right to advance to the winner's side championship.
Barton collected just five hits, four coming from the 2-for-3 performances of Tyler Janssen and Kyle Graves while the Red Ravens pounded out 10 hits with five of those leaving the ballpark.
Also aiding to the Barton woes, the Cougars hit .125 with runners in scoring position after putting two runners on base in four of their seven at-bats. Only mustering two runs off Red Raven starter Cross Dowd, the Cougars rolled into a trio of double plays preventing any extended scoring threats including a base running blunder to end a promising fifth inning.
Leading 2-0 after one of three errors in the game extended the opening frame, Coffeyville increased the lead to 5-0 in the top of the third benefitting behind a second inning solo shot and two-run home run in the third.
Barton broke through on the scoreboard in the home third as the first of Graves' two singles on the afternoon kick started the frame scoring on Hunter Alvord's groundout cutting the deficit to 5-1.
Following Coffeyville's third home run scoring a pair with two-outs in the fourth, Wyatt Yetter's leadoff walk and Kyle Walker's single for Barton's other lone hit presented a promising start but only one run would come in with Graves delivering the lone hit with runners in scoring position before rolling into their second twin killer leaving it at a 7-2 deficit.
The Red Ravens went on to score in their final three plate appearances adding a run in both the fifth and sixth frames before enforcing the run-rule with two in the seventh as the final seven Cougars went down in order.
The Cougars operated five different arms on the afternoon, starter Braden Hauschel (4-3) suffered the loss lasting 2.1-innings surrendering four hits for five runs (three-earned) with a strikeout.
Owen Pote pitched 1.2-innings, Cade Kunz worked 1.1-innings, Andrew McCarthy handled 0.2-innings and Jackson MacWilliams handled the seventh.