EL DORADO, Kan. – Following a doubleheader split in Great Bend, Butler baseball took on the Barton Cougars at McDonald Stadium on Sunday and once again the two teams split a pair of games.
Butler (10-8, 2-2 KJCCC) won the first game before dropping the second, similar to Wednesday's games at Barton (13-6, 2-2). Each team won 15-5 in a run rule on Sunday to force a season split.
Butler now turns around and plays a single nine inning game vs. Coffeyville at McDonald Stadium at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Game 1: Butler 15, Barton 5 (6 inn.)
A 10-run fifth inning that saw 13 Butler batters come to the plate was just what Butler needed in a comeback run-rule victory.
Barton starting pitcher Bradley Feezer (L, 2-2) was masterful for the first four innings of his start, striking out six, walking none and allowing just one run in that span. The fifth inning saw the first five Grizzlies reach base before Feezer was ultimately pulled.
Butler entered the bottom of the fifth trailing 5-1 and came out of it leading 11-5. The inning was highlighted by Micah Kobuszewski's three-run home run and Garrett Fager's two run home run as Butler totaled nine runs on four hits and three Barton errors in the inning.
BSB vs. Barton (G3) | B5
— Butler Grizzlies (@ButlerGrizzlies) March 10, 2024
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The sophomore from Topeka launches a three-run home run to right center and gives Butler an 8-5 lead in the fifth, their first lead of the game#RoarGrizz�� pic.twitter.com/bDRuWmuX9m
Kaden Spray (W, 2-0) earned the win as he was the pitcher of record when Butler took the lead. He threw 1.1 innings allowing one run on three hits, striking out two.
To earn the 10-run rule Butler added four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 15-5 win. A bases loaded walk from Kobuszewski, sacrifice flys from Brock Toothaker and Tyler Butash and an RBI infield single from CJ Reid is what Butler used in the sixth to plate four runs.
Butler had three hits across the first four innings before exploding in the fifth. Barton still outhit Butler 10-8 in the game but the three errors proved costly.
Game 2: Barton 15, Butler 5 (7 inn.)
Barton responded with a 15-5 win in game two that saw them finish with 18 hits in the win.
Butler went through five pitchers in the game with each allowing at least one run. Starter Jeremy Bingesser (L, 1-1) was tagged with five runs on six hits, walking three in 2.1 innings.
Barton plated four runs in the top of the second to break the scoreless tie and led 7-0 in the fifth before Butler's Jaron Brown ripped a double to right center to score Toothaker and Butler got on the board making it 7-1.
The Cougars scored 10 runs from the fifth through the seventh including five in the seventh to keep pulling away.
Justin Hudson hit his seventh home run of the season in the seventh inning for Butler, a three-run blast to left.
