BLUFFTON, Ohio - The 2024 Bluffton University graduation ceremony was in the Sommer Center, but it was senior Ezra Deitering (Ottawa/Miller City) who broke the Grizzly hearts as he went 6-of-10 with seven RBI in a convincing sweep at Franklin on Saturday, May 4! The Bluffton baseball team kept its Heartland Conference tournament chances alive as the Beavers improved to 12-26 overall and 7-13 in the Heartland Conference. Perennial-power Franlin fell to 18-20 and 7-13 in the HCAC.
Bluffton scored all it would need in game one when the Beavers put up a five-spot in the second inning! Freshman Tyler Fuller (Lewis Center/Orange) laced an RBI single to center, putting the visitors up when Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) crossed the dish. Freshman Drew Snipes (Pickerington/North) followed with a two-run double that picked up Matthew Mitchell (Amelia/McNicholas) and Brody Hammersley (Coshocton). An Evan Houseman (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) sacrifice fly plated Fuller and Deitering made it 5-0 with his triple to right field!
Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) scored in the third and Deitering singled in Snipes and inning later, putting Bluffton up 7-3. Houseman drew a free pass in the ninth and Deitering made it 9-4 Bluffton with his homer to left field!
Freshman Riley Reyna (Wellington) gave the Beavers a herculean effort on the mound, tossing 140 pitches in the first complete game by a Bluffton hurler this season! He fanned 11 Grizzlies against just two walks. Reyna allowed four runs as he scattered 12 hits over nine innings.
Deitering was 3-of-5 with four RBI, while Snipes scored twice and chipped in with two RBI.
Bluffton came right out of the gates blazing in game two, scoring in the first five innings on the way to a 7-4 lead over the Griz. Maurer drove in fellow Kenton Ridge product Evan Houseman in the first before Snipes plated Towell with a sacrifice fly in the second. Deitering's two-bagger pushed the lead to 4-1 when Houseman and Mitchell crossed the dish.
Fuller singled home Towell in the third, Deitering launched his second homer of the day in the fourth and Michell went yard in the fifth, making it 7-4 in favor of the good guys!
Hammersley continued his assault on opposing pitching with an RBI double in the seventh and Deitering scored on a Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) base knock in the eighth as Bluffton stunned the Grizzlies with a sweep of Franklin on graduation Saturday!
Deitering was 3-of-5 with three RBI, a homer and two runs scored. Baumgartner chipped in with two hits. Houseman, Towell and Mitchell all scored twice in the nightcap.
Ben Eisenhauer (San Jose, Cal./Leigh) improved to 2-5 thanks to 5.2 strong innings in his seventh start of the season. He struck out seven and walked just one while allowing four runs on five hits. Alexander James (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) and Wyatt Groves (Marengo/Highland) combined to toss 3.1 innings of outstanding relief. They allowed just one run on two hits with two punchouts and two walks. Groves notched his first save of the season.
Bluffton will travel home and have a quick turnaround with HCAC-leading Hanover College coming to Memorail Field on Sunday, May 5. Heartland Conference tournament implications are on the line for both teams with game one slated to kick off at 1 p.m.
-BEAVERS-