By BRANDON SMITH
Barton Sports Info
Wichita, KS - A furious late comeback bid drew just short for the Barton Community College baseball team Thursday evening in the winner's bracket of the Region 6/Plains District Tournament, as third-seeded Kansas City Kansas Community College held on for a 14-12 victory at Eck Stadium.
Trailing by as many as nine runs through six innings and striving off a pair of run-rule situations, the Cougars continued to chip away, scoring 10 of the game's final 13 runs to put the tying run in scoring position and the go-ahead run aboard in the ninth before ultimately stranding the bases loaded.
The loss sends Barton to the elimination side at 34-21 overall, while the Blue Devils of KCK improve to 42-18. The Cougars will look to keep their season alive Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. elimination game against fourth-seeded and No. 22-ranked Hutchinson Community College at Eck Stadium. The winner advances to Friday evening's 7:00 p.m. contest against the loser between top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Johnson County Community College and second-seeded and No. 2-ranked Cloud County Community College.
Barton struck first in the opening frame as Kyle Walker's leadoff single came around to score on Kyler Horsman's RBI double. After Kansas City Kansas answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the half, the Cougars pulled even in the second when Dalton Jorgensen delivered a two-out RBI single to score Micah McGavran's leadoff walk.
Blue Devils starter Will Kennedy settled in from there, retiring 10 straight Barton hitters and holding the Cougars scoreless over the next four innings as Kansas City Kansas built an 11-2 advantage through six frames. Barton finally chased the Blue Devils' starter in the seventh, using JJ Spafford's two-run homer for his fourth of the season and Rhett Winchester's sacrifice fly to trim the deficit to 11-5.
The Cougars chipping away continued into the eighth as Hayden Oviatt belted a no-doubt three-run blast for his eighth of the season before Jorgensen scored on a wild pitch to push Barton within 12-9. Kansas City Kansas answered in the bottom of the half as Brady Kern's two-out, two-run homer following a tough two-out 3-2 pitch resulting in a Blue Devils walk restored the five-run cushion.
The Cougars mounted one final rally in the ninth, drawing five of their eight walks in the contest while loading the bases with no-outs. Spafford was hit by a pitch to force in a run before Jorgensen and Walker followed with RBI walks, cutting the deficit to 14-12 and moving the tying run in scoring position. Kansas City Kansas turned to its seventh different pitcher and third of the inning in Lucas Clarke, who retired the only three batters he faced to end Barton's comeback bid.
Barton's offense produced 12 runs on 12 hits and drew eight walks, with five different Cougars driving in runs. Jorgensen and Walker paced the attack with three hits apiece, combining to go 6-for-8 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Oviatt and Spafford each belted home runs and drove in a trio of RBIs, while Horsman added the remaining extra base hits with a pair of doubles and an RBI.
Brian Justice (5-7) suffered the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits over four innings. The Cougars utilized six relievers in the contest, with Landon Haines allowing two unearned runs over his lone inning of work.