The Barton Community College baseball team put together a balanced offensive attack Saturday afternoon, closing out the opening weekend with a four-game sweep of Rose State College following a 14-1 and 18-12 doubleheader sweep at the Raider Baseball Field.
Barton's lineup combined for 32 runs on 35 hits in the twinbill, including 15 extra-base hits and 31 RBIs, as run production was spread throughout the order with five different Cougars driving in four or more runs in the series-clinching wins.
With the doubleheader sweep, the Cougars improve to 4-0 on the young season following the four-game sweep, while the Raiders drop to 0-5 on the year. Barton will have the week off before opening its home campaign Friday afternoon, hosting Allen County Community College to kickstart a four-game weekend series, with first pitch of the doubleheader slated for 1:00 p.m. at Jimmy Lawson-Danny Biggs Field.
The Cougars offense was highlighted by several standout performances over the doubleheader. Hayden Oviatt drove in a team-high nine runs while collecting two triples and a home run, while Rhett Winchester followed with six RBIs behind a home run and a pair of triples. Kyle Graves set the tone offensively, batting .700 (7-for-10) with seven hits, including a double and a triple.
Game 1 RecapBarton opened the doubleheader with a 14-1 victory over Rose State, scoring in three of the seven innings to secure the series.
The Cougars produced crooked numbers in three of the seven innings, with three runs in the third, five in the fourth, one in the sixth, and five more in the seventh before Rose State scored its lone run in the home seventh.
Offensively, Barton finished with 14 runs on 18 hits, including five extra-base hits. Five Cougars recorded three or more hits in the contest, led by Graves, perfect 4-for-4 outing at the plate. The top four hitters in the Barton lineup combined to go 12-for-17 on the afternoon.
Winchester paced Barton's run production with five RBIs in the contest. The freshman recorded his first collegiate home run, a two-run blast that opened the scoring in the three-run third inning, then later cleared the bases with a triple in the seventh.
Oviatt supplied a two-run triple during Barton's five-run fourth inning, while Graves closed out the scoring in the seventh with the Cougars' second triple of the frame, bringing home one of his three RBIs. Kyle Walker chipped in two RBIs, ripping a run-scoring triple in the fourth before opening the five-run seventh with an RBI single.
On the mound, Barton hurlers limited Rose State to one run on six hits. Making his collegiate debut, Brian Justice earned the win, tossing four shutout innings while allowing two hits and one walk with two strikeouts. Patrik Ludviks worked the final three innings in relief, surrendering one run as the Raiders' lone extra-base hit came on a two-out RBI double in the seventh.
Game 2 RecapBarton completed the doubleheader sweep with an 18-12 victory over Rose State in the nine-inning nightcap, using a seven-run fifth inning to regain control before adding late insurance to close out the four-game sweep.
The Cougars jumped out early with three runs in the first inning before finding themselves trailing after Rose State responded with six runs in their first turn at the plate. Battling back to within one with two more in the second, the deficit grew back to four with the Raiders producing a three-run fourth. Barton answered in the fifth, sending 11 hitters to the plate and scoring seven runs to take the lead for good.
Production remained balanced up and down the lineup in the nightcap as Barton produced 18 runs on 17 hits, with eight of the nine hitters recording a hit. Oviatt led the way with seven RBIs, highlighted by a bases-clearing triple in the fifth inning and his first home run of the season in the ninth.
Kyler Horsman added three RBIs, sparked by his second home run of the season launched in the first inning, while Walker drove in three runs as part of a 3-for-5 nightcap at the plate to finish the doubleheader 6-for-9 with five RBIs.
Barton extended the lead with two runs in the seventh before Rose State trimmed the margin with runs in the seventh and eighth. The Cougars closed the game in the ninth, scoring four insurance runs behind Oviatt's three-run blast and a two-out RBI double from JJ Spafford, his second hit of the game.
Utilizing six pitchers in the nightcap, Landon Ritchey earned the victory in relief with 2.1 scoreless innings, while Drew Koch handled the final 1.1 inning without allowing a run, striking out three.