BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball team swept a pair of Heartland Conference contests from rival Defiance College on Good Friday, March 29, 2024. Bluffton improved to 8-12 overall and 3-3 in the Heartland Conference, while the Yellow Jackets fell to 2-14 and 0-6 in the HCAC.
With the Beavers trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the second, freshman Tyler Fuller (Lewis Center, Ohio/Orange) laced a two-run double to knot the game heading to the third inning. Junior Evan Houseman (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) broke that tie with a three-run bomb in the third, before Fuller's fielder's choice plated Caleb Giesken (Leipsic/Miller City) for a 6-2 Bluffton lead.
Matthew Mitchell (Amelia/McNicholas) singled home Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) an inning later and Seth Altman (Hilliard/Hilliard Davidson) drew a bases-loaded free pass, pushing the Beaver advantage to 8-2. RBI base hits by Houseman and Jake Baumgartner added up to a 10-4 Bluffton victory in the lidlifter on a beautiful Friday afternoon.
Houseman went 3-of-4 with four RBI and three runs scored while Fuller was 3-of-5 with three RBI. Mitchell and Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) both smacked two hits for the Beavers and Maurer scored twice.
Andrew Collinsworth (Westerville/Westerville South) went 4.2 innings and allowed just three runs on two hits, but did not factor in the decision. He walked four and hit three Yellow Jackets before Ben Eisenhauer (San Jose, Cal./Leigh) came on and finished it off for his first victory of the season. He struck out three and gave up just one unearned run in 4.1 innings of relief!
The Beavers scored three apiece in the first two innings of game two, taking a 6-0 lead over the visitors. Maurer was the linchpin, driving in Baumgartner with a first-inning double, and he unloaded the bases with a three-run two-bagger in the second!
Maurer plated Towell with his third double of the game two innings later, making it 8-2 in favor of the good guys. It looked like the game was going the full nine until a two-out rally sent fans to the exits an inning early. Run-scoring singles by pinch hitter Kenny Schneider (Sunbury/Big Walnut) and Altman drove in pinch runners Ethan Moore (Bellefontaine) and Grant Hovest (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) for 12-2 mercy-rule victory!
Riley Reyna (Wellington) was dealing on the bump, tossing six strong innings. The freshman allowed just two runs, one earned, on four hits with three strikeouts and no walks! Junior Nathan Young (Copley) tossed two shutout frames with two strikeouts to close it out for the home team.
Maurer exploded for three doubles and five RBI with one run scored. Mitchell rapped three hits, going 5-of-10 on Friday afternoon. Towell scored four runs and Baumgartner crossed the dish three times. Altman and Towell both smacked a pair of hits in the nightcap.
Bluffton will tie a bow on its Heartland Conference series with Defiance at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 30, 2024.
-BEAVERS-