Cougars leadoff conference slate with sweep of Seward County #GoBarton

Led behind Anthony Treto and Antonio Mendez stellar pitching performances and pair of leadoff Tyler Janssen home runs, the Barton Community College baseball team opened the conference slate with a doubleheader sweep over Seward County Community College Thursday afternoon at Lawson-Biggs Field.

Treto's six inning gem and the first of Janssen's two leadoff home runs to start the day was part of the Cougars series opening 6-3 victory over the Saints. The script carried over in the nightcap with Janssen distributing the first pitch seen over the left field fences to go along with Mendez seven strong and Andrew McCarthy's clean inning of work as the duo held Seward County to just one run and four hits in a 11-1 eighth inning run rule victory.

Snapping a two-game skid, the Cougars open Jayhawk West play at 2-0 and move to 7-3 overall while the Saints drop to 0-2 in league play and 9-11 on the season. Due to inclement weather forecasted for Saturday, the final two games of the four-game series have been pushed back a day to Sunday at 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. from Brent Gould Field in Liberal.

Game 1 Recap
Treto earned his second victory of the season, going six-innings. The sophomore permitted just four hits, one run, walking two and fanning five before handing off to Preston Golden for the final inning of work.

Turning in a 3-for-4 performance at the top of the lineup in the opener, Janssen gifted Barton a 1-0 lead just three pitches in blasting his second home run of the season.

Locked in a pitching duel between Treto and the reigning conference and national player of the week Brooks Kappelmann, Wyatt Yetter's sacrifice-fly increased Barton's lead to 2-0 plating Janssen's leadoff bunt single in the bottom of the third.

One of three Saint errors in the game added an additional insurance run in the bottom of the fifth scoring one of Hunter Alvord's two singles for a 3-0 Cougar lead.

Seward County broke through for their lone run on Treto in the top of the sixth but a Saints error in the bottom of the sixth extended the frame and three run Barton response as back-to-back John Connors and Cooper Tabor pinch hit singles crossed the plate off a three base error capped behind Janssen's double driving in his second RBI of the game increasing the lead to 6-1.

The Saints scored a pair of runs in the seventh to draw within 6-3 with Golden shutting things down inducing a game ending groundout.

Barton generated 10 total hits led behind the top four in the lineup going a combined 7-for-14 while furnishing two of the three extra base hits.

Game 2 Recap
Mendez set the tone on the mound improving to 3-0 on the season going a career high seven innings, surrendering one run over four hits with a career best eight punchouts before giving way to McCarthy, as the freshman tossed a clean eighth inning.

Finishing 4-for-7 on the afternoon with three-RBI's, Janssen needed just one pitch serving up the first of four Cougar big flies in the nightcap for his third home run of the season and second leadoff blast of the twinbill.

Following the lone Saints run coming on a leadoff solo-shot in the second to knot things up at 1-1, Barton quickly reclaimed the lead for good plating three runs in the bottom of the third highlighted on Hadley and Yetter RBI singles.

Kyle Graves broke open the contest in the bottom of the fourth blasting a three-run home run to left center for his collegiate first capping a four-run inning and 8-1 Barton lead.

The Cougars capped the afternoon with a three run eighth as Alvord and Hadley opened the scoring going back-to-back for their second home runs of the season with Yetter's walk, Cesar Gomez lone hit of the day creating Connors walk-off RBI single and 11-1 run rule victory.

Four of Barton's nine hits in the nightcap came behind the long ball as the Cougars utilized the 20-30 mph south wind blowing out to left field dispensing a combined six home runs in the twinbill.