By BRANDON SMITH
Barton Sports Info
Mixing up the lineup was just what the 9th ranked Barton Community College baseball team needed as the bats exploded while starting hurlers Tegan Cain and Reece Hemmerling supplied the rest allowing just one run in Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Seward County Community College at Brent Gould Field.
The Cougars started the afternoon producing 23 runs off 19 hits of which 11 for extra bases including a pair of three-run home runs by Quinton Robertson and Dryden Howse earning a 23-1 fifth inning run-rule victory before pitching their fourth shutout win of the season in the series finale 6-0.
Clinching their fourth straight conference victory, Barton sits atop the Jayhawk West standings with a mark of 14-2 at the midway point and 35-4 overall while the Saints drop from second to fifth in the league standings now sitting at 11-9 and 21-21 on the season.
Amidst a four-game road-trip the Cougars will head to El Dorado, KS Thursday to open a four-game weekend set against the second place 10-6 and 23-14 Grizzlies of Butler Community College in a 1:00 p.m. twin bill before concluding the series next Saturday at Lawson-Biggs Field.
Several Cougars had big days at the plate in the final two games of the four-game series with the Saints.
Center fielder Riley Silva had a huge day going a combined 6 for 10 with 3 doubles, a triple and seven RBIs, concluding the four-game series hitting 11 of 17 (.647) at the plate legging out four doubles, one triple and driving in eight runs.
Shortstop Ricardo Sanchez was 3 for 10 with a double, triple and five RBIs.