BARTON’S COLTON Coss leads off first base Monday night while Moundsville’s Brian Campbell holds him on during Ohio Valley Baseball League action on Monarch Field in Glen Dale. Barton won the battle of the unbeaten, 16-2.

GLEN DALE — It was an early season meetin’ of the unbeaten Monday night in Ohio Valley Baseball League action. However, Barton turned Monarch Field into a carousel of sorts in the first two innings.

The Braves (3-0) sent 23 batters to the plate in the first two innings, scoring 14 times, en route to a 16-2 victory over host Moundsville (2-1).

“We put the bat on the ball early. They all weren’t shots, some were bleeders, but they all count,” veteran Barton manager Billy Timko said.

“The game is all about how many runs you score.”

Barton recorded five hits in a six-run first inning and posted eight more tallies in their second at-bat on five more safeties. The Belmont County contingent added solo markers in the fourth and fifth frames.

Kaden Blomquist and Eli Petho — the No. 7 and 8 hitters in the lineup — had three hits each to pace Barton’s 16-hit attack. Blomquist singled twice and doubled to plate two runs while Petho drove in three runs with two singles and a two-bagger. Dmitri Collaros,

Colton Coss and Isaac Rine all had two hits apiece as every starter had at least one base rap.

“We’ve been practicing for three weeks, so we’ve had a lot of batting practice and it has showed so far,” Timko noted.

Coss, Rine and Tyler Blomquist also knocked in two runs each as all but one started recorded an RBI.

While the hitters were doing their part, Barton’s pitching was solid for the third straight game.

Lefty Nicky Zorne, a former Steubenville Big Red standout, toed the rubber for the first time in nearly a year. However, he showed no rust in working three innings of three-hit ball, all the hits came in the third. He threw 50 pitches of which 29 were strikes.

“Nicky did a really good job for his first outing,” Timko said. “(Ryan) Barnard came on in relief and did a fine job.”

Bernard, another former Big Big performer, went the final four frames. Together they fanned half-a-dozen with Bernard chalking up five.

Mitchell French had two singles to pace Moundsville. Brian Campbell had a two-run single in the third.

Barton returns home to Henning Field inside Crescent’s Pramesa Park Wednesday to host rival Maynard. Moundsville, meanwhile, treks to Weirton the same night. Both games have 6 p.m. starts.

Maynard 4, Weirton 3

AT MAYNARD, the Indians (1-2) led 3-0 but had to hold off the Bobcats (0-3) on the Community Park diamond.

Hunter Westlake and Tyler Ramsay each doubled while Matt Masarick and David Vicker each singled in the three-run second.

Dylan Garloch picked up the mound win in his debut. He went four innings and allowed one run on four hits.

Chris Gillette had a two-run homer for Weirton.