April 5, 2008
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Bluffton University baseball team struggled at the plate in game one, but the Beavers put together 16 hits in the second contest for a 6-3 victory at Rose-Hulman. Bluffton improved to 9-13 overall and 3-7 in the Heartland Conference, while Rose now stands at 17-8 with a 4-3 mark in the HCAC.
Rose-Hulman 4, Bluffton 1
GABE FOCKE and KEENAN LONG sandwiched singles around a CHANDLER KENT sacrifice bunt to open the bottom of the first. An RBI groundout by TIM TEPE made the score 1-0 after one inning.
A walk and hit batter set the table for Kent in the bottom of the third. He delivered an RBI single before Tepe again came through with a groundout to the right side that plated Focke for a 3-0 lead over the Beavers.
MIKE RAMTHUN (Springfield/Southeastern) drew a one out walk and stole second in the top of the fourth. He moved to third on a CODY MCPHERSON (Millbury/Lake) groundout and scored when STEVE ROBERTS (West Salem/Mapleton) ripped a base hit which made the score 3-1.
RHIT tacked on an insurance run in the home half of the fourth when MICHAEL KOVACS drove a two-out home run over the left field wall for the final 4-1 count.
TIM KAY (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity) fell to 1-3 with the loss after giving up four runs on seven hits in six innings of work. He finished with six strikeouts and issued only free pass.
Bluffton collected only four hits as DEREK EITEL (5-2) limited the Beavers to just one run in seven innings. He struck out six batters and walked one in the complete game victory.
Bluffton 6, Rose-Hulman 3
After three scoreless frames to start game two, Bluffton took a 4-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. Four consecutive singles to open the inning put the Beavers up 1-0 and ended GANNON SADZECK'S day with the bases loaded and no outs. With Kay and A.J. RAMTHUN(Springfield/Southeastern) at first and second, CHRIS BAUMAN (Milford/Milford) delivered an RBI single. Mike Ramthun loaded the bases with his single. CURTIS SCHROEDER(Shelby/Shelby) slammed a two RBI double to the base of the wall in right field off LUIS BOUGRAT for a 3-0 lead and COREY CONN (London/London) capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to center field.
The Beavers averted major damage in the bottom of the fifth after an error set up a Rose-Hulman run. With runners on second and third and just one out, Cody McPherson induced a pair of groundouts to end the inning.
Mike Ramthun made the score 5-1 two innings later when he lifted a sacrifice fly to left which plated Tim Kay who reached on a Rose-Hulman error.
A REED EASON base hit to lead off the bottom of the seventh ended McPherson's day on the mound. KREIGH WILLIAMS greeted JAMES HAUSMAN (Milford/Milford) with a double which put two runners in scoring position. Focke's groundout plated Eason and when JIMMY MCMONAGLE'S (Ida, MIch./Ida) throw went to the backstop the Engineers were within two runs, 5-3.
Bluffton touched up RHIT closer SAM DETERS for three hits and a run in the top of the eighth frame. McMonagle led off with a single and moved to second on a DAVID RIDDLE(Milford/Milford) sacrifice bunt. TONY MOORE (Elida/Elida) made the score 6-3 with his RBI single which scored McMonagle.
James Hausman came on in relief of McPherson and held RHIT to just one run on one hit in three innings for his first save. McPherson improved to 3-1 following his six-inning six-hit performance in which he gave up only two runs with two strikeouts. Bluffton issued just one walk to the Engineers in the second game.
Kay and Bauman led the Beavers at the dish with three hits each. Schroeder, Conn and Riddle all finished game two with multiple hits. Schroeder drove in two runs while Kay scored twice in the victory.
Bluffton returns to action on Tuesday, April 8, when the Beavers host rival Defiance College at Memorial Field. The contest is slated for 4 p.m.
-BEAVERS-