The Jayhawk Conference season gets here early during baseball season. But teams are used to it. When the format started several years ago to play a 4-game conference series each weekend it pushed the conference season starting date to the first weekend end in March.
The Barton baseball team tuned up for the start of that conference season with an easy 13-3 win over Brown Mackie in a run-rule shortened seven innings Wednesday afternoon at Lawson-Biggs Field.
Barton scored five times in each the second and third innings to grab an 11-0 lead. The Cougars cruised from there to run their winning streak to five straight. The Cougars are 7-5 overall. Brown Mackie is 0-14.
Barton will head to Concordia and a 4-game series with Cloud County this weekend to open Jayhawk West play. The teams will start doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm.
In the win over Brown Mackie, Barton pounded out 12 hits while giving up just four to the Lions.
Leading 1-0, the first five Cougars that come to the plate in the second inning all reached base and eventually scored.
The Cougars went about it differently in the third inning, scoring four times with two outs. The big blow came on a bases loaded triple by Michael Sinks to score Taylor Langston, Derek Johnson and Drake Bliss.
Sinks had two hits and four RBI to pace the offense for Barton. Johnson finished with two hits and three RBI. Langston, Cole Henley and Ryan Schippers all had two hits as well.
Dexter Coughtrey started and went four innings to pick up the win, allowing just one hit and no runs. It was his first start of the season and his first win.
Barton turns its attention to Cloud County and a chance to get a good start to the Jayhawk West season.
Cloud will enter the game with a 2-11 record. The Thunderbirds have won two of their last three after starting the season 0-10.
Barton will be looking for its first road win of the season. The Cougars are 0-5 in true road games. Barton is 2-0 in neutral site and perfect 5-0 at home.