Behind Brian Justice's complete-game effort on the mound, the Barton Community College baseball team kept its season alive Friday morning at Lions Field, edging Fort Scott Community College 2-1 to even the Region 6/Plains District First Round series at one game apiece.
Snapping its four-game skid, the Cougars improve to 32-20 overall, while the Greyhounds fall to 38-20. The victory sets up Saturday's winner-take all Game 3 at 1:00 p.m. from Lions Field, with the winner advancing to next week's double-elimination Region 6/Plains District Tournament at Wichita State University's Eck Stadium.
Fort Scott threatened early, stranding five runners over the opening two innings while manufacturing an unearned run in the second before Justice settled in on the mound, retiring 19 of the final 24 batters he faced to keep the Greyhounds off the board over the final seven frames.
With offense at a premium throughout, Barton broke through with the tying run in the third as JJ Spafford's leadoff double came around to score three batters later on Kyle Walker's RBI groundout, knotting the contest at 1-1.
After stranding eight runners from the fourth through the eighth innings, the Cougars finally broke through in the ninth. Dalton Jorgensen led off the frame with a single and moved to third on Walker's sacrifice bunt and Rhett Winchester's groundout before Kyler Horsman drew a two-out walk to extend the inning, setting the stage for Carter Helm's game-winning RBI single.
Returning to the mound in the bottom of the ninth at 100 pitches, Justice needed just 14 more to complete his first collegiate nine-inning complete game. The freshman worked around a one-out hit batter, striking out one before inducing a game-ending fielder's choice to force Saturday's decisive Game 3.
Justice (5-6) was outstanding in the complete-game effort, allowing on unearned run on six hits while striking out eight and walking one over 114 pitches.
Barton finished with 10 hits in the victory, with Horsman and Helm each recording two-hit performances. Helm drove in the game-winning run, while Walker added the Cougars'' other RBI.