DODGE CITY – It was almost another final inning win for the Barton baseball team. Instead, Dodge City turned the tables on the Cougars and scored a walk-off win of its own to end Barton’s 12-game winning streak.
The Cougars won the opener 12-3 but lost the nightcap in the bottom of the ninth to split games in Dodge City Saturday. The Cougars won the initial Jayhawk West series of the season, 3-1.
Barton trailed the entire second game until tying the contest in the seventh inning then taking a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth.
Barton tied the game at 4-all in the seventh on a Kaden Fowler double that scored Clay Lockett.
The Cougars took a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth when Brett Huelsmann tripled in Chandler Kelley with one out. But the inning ended on a flyout by Dawson Pomeroy and throw out of Huelsmann trying to score.
Then things fell apart in the bottom half of the inning. Closer Pomeroy hit a pair of a batters to load the bases with one out. A pair of infield errors followed, allowing Dodge to tie the game then win it.
Fowler had three hits, including two doubles in the loss. Kelley had a pair of hits and home run.
The Cougars poured in on in the middle innings in the opener, scoring three in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to overtake the Conquistadors.
Barton trailed 3-2 into the fourth when the Cougars took command.
Huelsmann gave Barton the lead when he singled in Jared Maneth for a 4-3 advantage in the top of the fourth. Huelsmann drove in two more in the fifth when he singled in Brett Bonar and Brady Michel for an 8-3 lead.
Maneth increased the lead to 11-3 in the sixth on a single that scored Carson Engroff and Michel.
From there, the Cougars rode the strong pitching of Jarrett Seaton to the win. Seaton gave up just five hits and struck out seven in the complete-game win to improve to 3-2.
Barton will play Northern Iowa at home Tuesday in a single 9-inning game then head to Garden City Thursday for a pair in West play. Garden will return the trip to Barton Saturday for a 1 pm doubleheader.
Game 1
Barton 12, Dodge City 3
Barton 101 333 1 – 12 14 1
Dodge City 300 000 0 – 3 5 2
Seaton and Bonar. W – Seaton (3-2). L – Pape. 2B – Michel, Bonar, Erickson, Barton; Engle, Dodge. 3B – Fowler, Barton.
Game 2
Dodge City 6, Barton 5
Barton 010 002 101 – 5 10 2
Dodge City 301 000 002 – 6 9 0
Curry, Taylor (5), Smith (7), McClure (7), Riley (8), Pomeroy (9) and Fowler; Gifford, McBride (7) and Onstott. W – McBride. L – Pomeroy (1-1). 2B – Fowler 2, Barton; Onstott, McGowan, Dodge. 3B – Engroff, Huelsmann, Barton. HR – Kelley, Barton.
