By: Joseph Watkins, sports information assistant
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Bluffton University baseball team traveled to Anderson, Ind., for a mid-week doubleheader on Tuesday, April 16. Bluffton dropped a pair, falling to 15-15 overall and 5-5 in the Heartland Conference, while Anderson improved to 15-10 overall and 6-4 in the HCAC.
With the Beavers in a big 7-0 hole heading into the fifth, they were looking to cut into the Raven lead. A Jaxon Rogan (Marysville) double allowed Bluffton to finally get one on the board. Jacob Latkofsky (Temperance, MI/Ida) followed suit with a double of his own, scoring Rogan and making the score 7-2 in the middle of the fifth.
Another Rogan RBI double in the top half of the seventh made it 7-3. In the top of the eighth, an Adam Duncan (Northwood/Lake) single to right field pushed Zane Martin (Ottoville) across the dish, making the score 7-4 in favor of the Ravens. Anderson would score four more insurance runs in the bottom half of the eighth to stretch the lead to 11-4. Bluffton got one back in the ninth, but the rally fell short with the Beavers on the wrong end of an 11-5 final.
Martin, Duncan, and Rogan all chipped in two hits apiece for the Beavers, while Rogan knocked in two runs. Junior Cam Clark (Cairo/Bath) took the loss, falling to 2-3 on the year. He went five innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits with two strikeouts.
After three innings, Bluffton trailed 3-0, but in the top half of the fifth they got one of those runs back when Alex Lemanski (Miamisburg) laced an RBI single up the middle. The Beavers gave up two in the bottom half of the inning, making it a 5-1 hole.
Bluffton made it 6-3 in the sixth when a Lenny Winiarski (Cincinnati/LaSalle) double plated two Beavers. That marked the end of Bluffton's scoring, however, as Anderson sealed the sweep with a 10-3 victory.
Latkofsky was the only Beaver with two hits as he went 2-of-4 in the loss. Senior Brantley Curnutte (Hilliard/Davidson) got the start for Bluffton and he gave up five runs on seven hits while fanning six. His record slipped to 0-2 on the year.
Bluffton will be back in action on Wednesday, April 17, when they travel to Ohio Northern University to take on the Polar Bears in a non-conference matchup. The first pitch is slated for 4:30 p.m. in Ada.
-BEAVERS-