HANOVER, Ind. - The Bluffton University baseball team split a pair of two-run games at Hanover College on Saturday, March 27, 2021. Hanover took game one (6-4) and Bluffton bounced back with an 8-6 victory in the capper. The Beavers moved to 2-10 overall and in the conference, while Hanover stands 7-5 on both accounts.

A pair of doubles to lead off the bottom of the second led to two Panther runs and an early 2-0 Hanover lead in game one. Bluffton evened it up in the top of the fourth when Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) singled home Reid Ruhl (Hamilton) and Adam Duncan (Northwood/Lake) picked up Towell with his base hit to left.

The Beavers went up 4-2 an inning later thanks to a two-run single by Parker Reynolds (Avon) that drove in Jaxon Rogan (Marysville) and Jacob Latkofsky (Temperance, MI/Ida). However, the Panthers plated a single run in the seventh before doubling their score with three more tallies in the eighth inning. They made the 6-4 lead hold up when Bluffton went down in order in the top of the ninth.

Senior Garrett O'Reilly (Galena/Orange) gave the Beavers a great outing on the mound, allowing three runs on five hits in seven innings of work with eight strikeouts, but he did not factor in the decision thanks to four Hanover runs after he left the game. Jacob Daulton (Batavia) took the loss after allowing three runs on four hits in 2/3 of an inning. 

Reynolds led the Beavers with two hits and two RBI. 

With game two tied 1-1 in the top of the third, Towell picked up RBI's number two and three for the game with his single to left. Ruhl and sophomore Nick Diana (Batavia/West Clermont) crossed the plate for a 3-1 Bluffton edge. 

Hanover knotted it with single runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings before a four-run Bluffton fifth made it 7-3 in favor of the visitors. Three errors led to the four unearned tallies as Ruhl, Latkofsky, Towell and O'Reilly all crossed the dish.

Ruhl singled home Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) in the sixth, making it 8-4 Bluffton. Hanover put up two runs in the seventh, but the Beavers limited the home team to one hit over the final two frames for the 8-6 victory.

Junior Spencer Garrison (West Salem/Northwestern) earned the win after tossing two shutout innings in the seventh and eighth, striking out three while allowing two hits and one walk. Seth Evans (Ada/OSU-Lima) notched his first save, giving up just a walk in the ninth inning.

Ruhl had three hits and scored three times. Towell drove in three runs, while Duncan, Latkofsky and Baumgartner all finished with multiple knocks.

Bluffton will be home at Memorial Field for a twin-bill against Franklin College on Sunday, March 28, 2021. The first game is slated for 1 p.m.

-BEAVERS-