May 11, 2018

FRANKLIN, Ind. - The Bluffton University baseball season came to an end, but not before the 2018 Beavers became the first team in school history to make the Heartland Conference baseball tournament. Anderson wriggled away with a 5-4 win in the first elimination game of the tourney on Friday, May 11, as Bluffton wrapped up its season with a 21-18 mark.

Adam Duncan's (Northwood/Lake) ground ball to third plated Lenny Winiarski (Cincinnati/LaSalle) with the first run of the game in the bottom of the second. Trailing 3-1 two innings later, Bluffton pulled within one when Ryan Golden's (Findlay) chopper over the second baseman's head scored Reid Ruhl (Hamilton). A wild pitch sent Golden scurrying home with the tying run.

Anderson regained the lead in the fifth, but Duncan's liner to right plated Reid Maus (Hamilton/Badin) who opened the sixth with a triple to the wall in right center. The Ravens responded with a tally in the top of the seventh and that was the final score as AU moved on with their 5-4 victory on Friday morning.

Freshman Garrett O'Reilly (Galena/Orange) had his finest outing of the season, going eight innings while allowing five runs, three earned, on eight hits with five strikeouts. Sophomore Cam Clark (Cairo/Bath) needed just nine pitches for a perfect ninth inning of relief. Maus and Duncan both finished with two hits as Duncan drove in a pair of runs.

The Beavers capped off their first HCAC Tournament appearance with a pair of down-to-the wire finishes at Franklin. Congratulations on a fantastic season and ROLLBEAVS!

-BEAVERS-