Baseball Clinches First Conference Series Win Against Barton

After a challenging start to conference play, the Colby Trojans baseball team finally turned the corner last week against a previously ranked Barton squad. Entering the four-game series with a 0-12 conference record, the Trojans were determined to make a statement. The effort paid off, as the Trojans not only earned their first conference win of the season but also captured their first series victory.

Game 1 vs Barton

The opener was an instant classic on Thursday (March 25). Colby jumped on the board in the bottom of the second inning when Anthony Deblois singled to center, scoring a run after a Barton miscue. Barton responded quickly in the third, with Kyle Walker's single and Kyler Horsman's three-run homer giving the visitors a 4-2 advantage. 

Colby answered emphatically with a five-run bottom of the third, highlighted by Turner Zdunich's three-run homer, turning the momentum in the Trojans' favor. The teams traded leads over the next several innings, with Barton rallying in the fourth and fifth, capped by Bruin Sampson's solo homer.

The game reached its peak in the ninth when Barton scored five runs, including Walker's two-run shot, to take a 17-12 lead. Colby refused to fold. In the bottom of the ninth, Deblois singled, Jacob Mraz doubled, and Zdunich crushed his second homer of the day to tie the game at 17. In the bottom of the tenth, Charlie Langford delivered the walk-off single to secure an 18-17 victory. 

Across the contest, Zdunich finished with two home runs and four RBIs, Deblois led the Trojans with four hits, and Colby's depth was on full display with multiple contributions from Clifford, Mraz, Thomson, Brooks, and Langford. Dallen Rude earned the win in relief, striking out two over 1.2 innings, while starter Rory MacDonald and reliever Isaiah Sadorus helped set the stage despite facing Barton's relentless offense.

Game 2 vs Barton

In the second game, Colby again jumped out early, with Thomson's first-inning homer giving the Trojans a 3-1 lead. Charlie Langford followed with a two-run homer in the second, pushing the advantage to 5-1. Colby broke the game open in the third with four runs, fueled by RBI singles from Langford, Brooks, and Mraz, as well as a solo shot from Brooks. 

The Trojans added five more runs in the fourth inning, including Brooks' second home run of the day, putting Colby in firm control. Barton staged a comeback, scoring seven runs in the fifth, with Graves' solo homer and Raposo's two-run single cutting the deficit to 14-12. Colby added an insurance run in the sixth, holding on for a 15-12 win.

Langford continued his stellar series with three hits and three RBIs, Brooks drove in four runs and went 2-for-4, Thomson homered and collected three RBIs, and Zdunich combined strong pitching with timely hitting, striking out two over three innings while issuing four walks. Colby's lineup showed remarkable balance, with nearly every player contributing to the 32 hits the team collected over the doubleheader.

Game 3 at Barton

The Colby Trojans closed in on their first conference series win of the season with a hard-fought 6-5 victory over Barton in a back-and-forth contest on Saturday (March 28)

Barton drew first blood in the second inning with a Bruin Sampson RBI single scoring Jaxon Case, giving the home team an early 1-0 lead. But Colby responded in force in the third inning, igniting a four-run rally that turned the game on its head. Jake Brooks singled to left, driving in Chase Kessler, while Turner Zdunich's two-RBI single scored both Brooks and Charlie Langford. Colby's aggressive baserunning made the play even more exciting, as Jacob Mraz stole home during the inning to extend the lead to 4-1.

Barton refused to go quietly, sending a pair of runs across in the fifth inning on a Rhett Winchester homer, narrowing Colby's lead to 4-3. But Colby's offense kept its composure. Chase Kessler singled home Matt Murray in the sixth, and Jacob Mraz added another RBI single in the seventh to put the Trojans back in control at 6-3. 

Barton threatened in the seventh, as Kyle Graves launched a two-run homer to cut the lead to 6-5, but Colby's pitching held firm. Trey Schroeder, who earned the win, went 4.1 innings allowing four runs while striking out four, and Dallen Rude closed the final two-thirds of an inning, striking out two to seal the victory.

Key contributions came from Turner Zdunich, who drove in two runs and stole a base, while Charlie Langford, Jake Brooks, and Chase Kessler all recorded crucial RBIs. Colby also displayed speed on the bases with Mraz, Zdunich, and Matt Murray each swiping a bag.

Game 4 at Barton

The Trojans then finished the series with a 12-8 loss in Great Bend. 

The game remained close through the first three innings, with Colby taking an early 1-0 lead in the second when Caden Clifford singled to right, driving in Callum Thomson. 

Barton answered in the fourth with a six-run surge, keyed by Kyle Graves' triple that scored two and Rhett Winchester's RBI single, and capped by Kyler Horsman's two-run homer, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 6-1 lead. Colby responded in the fifth with a three-run inning, taking advantage of a Barton error and timely hitting from Jake Brooks, Anthony Deblois, and Matthew Kesting to make it 6-3.

Barton stretched the lead in the fifth and sixth innings with a combination of doubles, homers, and aggressive baserunning, building a 12-3 advantage. Colby refused to quit, launching a rally in the eighth inning. Jacob Mraz scored on a Callum Thomson single, Turner Zdunich moved runners into scoring position, and Deblois delivered a solo home run, with RBI contributions from Kesting, Langford, and Brooks, bringing the score to 12-8. Despite the late surge, Colby's comeback fell short as Barton held on for the victory.

Deblois led Colby offensively with three hits and a homer, Thomson added a key RBI and scored twice, and Clifford's early run kept the Trojans in striking distance. Colby's pitchers struggled to contain Barton's lineup, as Tommy Mann and Gabe Fournier combined for 12 earned runs over seven innings. 

With their first conference win and first series triumph in the books, Colby now carries momentum and confidence into the next stretch of league play, showing that they are ready to compete at a higher level. The Trojans return to action with a non-conference game at home on Monday (March 30) against McCook, before resuming conference play at Seward County on Thursday (April 2).