7th ranked Cougars clinch fifth straight series win in doubleheader sweep of Butler #GoBarton

Ricardo Sanchez and Robby Bolin each drove in two runs in Game 1 with Sanchez adding three more RBIs in Game 2 as the 7th ranked Barton Community College baseball team earned a doubleheader sweep of the Butler Community College Grizzlies Sunday afternoon at Lawson-Biggs Field.

Bolin reached base and scored in three of his five plate appearances as Barton earned a 5-2 victory in the third game of the weekend series. Sanchez followed Owen Bailey's go-ahead run producing single in the eighth inning driving in two of his three as the Cougars pulled away late to secure the series in the nightcap 9-6.

Clinching their fifth straight series victory, Barton remains atop the Jayhawk West standings with a three-game lead at 17-3 in league play and 38-5 overall, while the Grizzlies plummet from second to fifth in the standings with a conference mark of 11-9 and 24-18 on the season.

The Cougars will conclude the four game homestand on Thursday opening the first leg of a four-game set with the third place Cloud County T-Birds in a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader.

Game 1 Recap
The Barton offense wasted little time producing all five runs through the opening three innings with a pair in the first and second and another run in the third.

Sanchez pushed the Cougars out front just two batters in belting an opposite field two-run home run out to right for his fifth of the season after Bolin's leadoff walk.

Jaden Wiley formed the first of three singles in the second advancing to third on a two base Grizzlies error before coming in on Bolin's single. Quinton Robertson's two-out walk extended the home second creating a Dryden Howse RBI single to right making it 4-0.

Wiley jumpstarted the second straight two out rally in the bottom of the third as a walk and back-to-back Grant Nottlemann and Bolin singles increased the advantage to 5-0.

Despite battling control issues early on starter Tegan Cain never wavered stranding five Grizzlies through the opening four innings. Cain's lone runs surrendered came in the top of the fifth as Butler broke through with a two-out Josh Holmes single and Alan Benhardt home run to right trimming the lead to 5-2.

Cain (6-1) worked five innings to earn his sixth win of the season. The sophomore struck out six while allowing four walks, three hits and two runs

Bryan Bartels pitched a scoreless sixth issuing one walk and fanning one with Ivan Cox notching his first save of the season needing just nine pitches.

Game 2 Recap
The Cougars produced runs in their first three at-bats once again and scored the go-ahead runs in the eighth.

Three straight run producing hits steered the Cougars to a 3-0 lead in the first. A leadoff Bolin hit-by-pitch raced home on the first of back-to-back run driven doubles by Robertson and Howse with Nottlemann capping the scoring on a first pitch seeing single to right.

Sanchez increased Barton's lead in the home second on a sacrifice fly driving in Bolin's one-out triple.

Benefitting off one of seven Cougar walks issued to open the top of the third, Butler managed their lone hit off Barton starter Reece Hemmerling producing an RBI single getting on the board at 4-1.

Firing back with a pair, Ayden Blachowicz grounded out scoring a leadoff Howse walk with the second run scoring three pitches later on Wiley's single that brought in Nottlemann's double making it 6-1 after three.

Scoreless over the next three innings, the Grizzlies dug into the deficit taking advantage of two walks, a pair of hit batters and two singles in the seventh pulling within two before knotting it up at 6 apiece in the eighth as Barton's lone error prolonged the inning allowing a run to score and the tying run to cross on an ensuing RBI single.

Answering the call, Barton's rally started with Blachowicz drawing a walk to open the eighth and advancing 90-feet on Wiley's perfectly placed sacrifice bunt. Ahead in the count 1-0 and 0 for 3 prior, Bailey distributed the big hit needed in the nine-hole roping an opposite field go-ahead RBI single extending his hitting streak to 11-straight games. Sanchez furnished two more runs succeeding Bolin's double with a two-RBI single up the middle for a 9-6 lead.

Barton utilized five pitchers with Reigning Conference Pitcher of the Week Hemmerling earning a no-decision working five innings allowing one run, one hit, walking three and striking out four.

Cougar relievers Brett Allen and Tyrus Riley struggled combining for 1 1/3-innings and allowing two hits, three runs and two walks.

Kade Walker went 2/3 of an inning recording a strikeout while Hunter Jones (3-0) notched his third victory of the year working the final two frames allowing two hits, two unearned runs and fanning two.

9 of the 10 Cougars in the lineup recorded hits led by Nottlemann's 3 for 5 day and Bolin's 2 for 4 afternoon with three runs scored. Extending his hitting streak to 11-straight games with a fifth inning single in the opener, Hayman had his 11-game hitting streak come to an end going 0 for 4 in the nightcap.