ALBION, Mich. - The Bluffton University baseball team scored early and often in a 22-16 win at Albion on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. The Britons slipped to 7-5 on the season, while Bluffton upped its mark to 4-6.
Ayden Spriggs (North Lewisburg/Triad) and Seth Altman (Hilliard/Hilliard Davidson) put Bluffton up 2-0 when they drove in runs during the second inning. One frame later, the Beaver offense got it rolling with seven tallies, capped by a three-run homer from Caleb Giesken (Leipsic/Miller City)! The visitors needed just four hits as Albion walked a pair of batters and hit another.
Albion trimmed its deficit to three runs (9-6) in the bottom of the fifth before five runs in the sixth and seven in the seventh put Bluffton up with a seemingly comfortable 21-6 lead. Giesken parked his second homer of the game to ignite the spurt and Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) cleaned it up with a three-run bomb for a 14-6 Beaver lead heading to the seventh frame.
The inning that would never end started with a seven spot for the good guys. Four Beavers were hit by a pitch, three drew free passes, one reached on an error, then throw in a passed ball and it all added up to a 15-run Bluffton lead! To Albion's credit, the home team would not go away as the Britons piled up 10 runs on eight hits, making it 21-16 with two innings yet to play.
Altman scored an insurance run in the top of the ninth and William Nowakowski's (Grand Rapids/Swanton) two scoreless innings of relief allowed the Beaver faithful to breathe a sigh of relief! Nowakowski needed just eight batters to get the final six outs on Tuesday evening. He fanned three and allowed just one hit.
Graduate student Jaden Jaques (East Palestine, Ind.) continued his great work on the mound, allowing only one run on five hits in 2.2 innings of work. Nathan Young (Copley) tossed a shutout sixth for the Beavers.
Giesken went 2-of-4 with his first two collegiate homers and five RBI! Maurer was 2-of-3 with five RBI and four runs scored. Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) and Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) both scored three runs, while Spriggs scored three runs and drove in three.
Bluffton will travel to Beavers Field in Lancaster for a double-dipper with Chatham which is under the direction of former Coach Grandey assistant Nic Rush. Game one is slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 16.
-BEAVERS-