May 3, 2008
ANDERSON, Ind. - The Anderson University baseball team kept its HCAC tournament hopes alive with a sweep of Bluffton on Saturday, May 3, 2008. The Beavers fell to 15-22 overall and 7-14 in the conference, while Anderson upped its record to 23-14, with a 13-8 mark in the HCAC.
Anderson 13, Bluffton 0
The Bluffton bats were silenced in the first game of the series as Anderson's starter SCHNEPPkept the Beavers off balance while firing a complete-game four hitter. He fanned seven batters and walked just two in improving to 3-3 on the season with his seven-inning shutout of the visitors.
Anderson allowed only two Beavers to reach third base during game one, while the Ravens plated runs in four of six innings. In the bottom of the first inning, Anderson scored three runs on four hits to take a 3-0 lead over Bluffton.
The floodgates opened two innings later when the home team used four hits, including a JARRETT grand slam, a walk and two hit batters to salt the game away with seven earned runs which made the score 10-0.
The Ravens tacked on two more runs in the fifth and an S. JONES solo homer in the sixth to complete their 13-0 shutout of the Beavers.
TIM KAY (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity) fell to 3-5 after his last career start on the mound as a Beaver. He gave up nine runs on eight hits in 2.2 innings. Kay struck out two batters and walked two. Freshman NATHAN BLANTON (Cincinnati/LaSalle) worked the final 3.1 innings, holding Anderson to four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts.
Anderson pounded 15 hits, compared to four singles for the Beavers, two of which came in the final inning of play.
Anderson 6, Bluffton 3
ADDINGTON led off the bottom of the first with a three-bagger and he crossed the plate following JARRETT'S sacrifice fly to center which made the score 1-0.
Bluffton took advantage of an Anderson error to score its first runs of the day in the second inning of game two. With two down and JIMMY MCMONAGLE (Ida, Mich./Ida) on first base, BRETT HOWARD (Toledo/St. Francis DeSales) launched his first collegiate home run to give the Beavers a 2-1 lead.
HIATT belted a leadoff homer to tie the game at two in the fifth inning before Anderson took the lead for good with a pair of scores an inning later. LANTZ doubled home E. SMITH and he came around to score following Hiatt's base knock.
Bluffton cut the deficit to a run in the top of the seventh when TONY MOORE'S (Elida/Elida) RBI single plated pinch-hitter STEVE ROBERTS (West Salem/Mapleton). Moore's base hit gave him 168 for his career, tying him with Brad Buckingham for the most career hits at Bluffton heading into his final game as a Beaver following graduation tomorrow afternoon.
Anderson responded with two runs in the home half of the eighth and held on in the ninth to complete the sweep with a 6-3 win over Bluffton.
Roberts was 1-of-1 at the plate and scored a run, while Howard knocked in two with his second-inning dinger. Four Anderson pitchers limited the best hitting team in the Heartland Conference to just nine hits (.155 BA) on the day.
JAMES HAUSMAN (Milford/Milford) fell to 2-3 after giving up four runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings of work. CODY MCPHERSON (Millbury/Lake) got the last eight outs, fanning four batters while allowing two runs on three hits with one walk.
Bluffton will bring its 2008 campaign to a close when it hosts Anderson on Sunday, May 4, at Memorial Field following commencement at Bluffton University. The Senior Day contest against the Ravens is slated to start at 5 p.m.
-BEAVERS-