April 6, 2010
LORAIN, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball team snapped its seven-game skid with a sweep of Oberlin College at the Pipe Yard on Tuesday, April 6, 2010. The Beavers improved to 9-14 on the season while Oberlin dipped to 14-8 overall.
Bluffton 8, Oberlin 4
Bluffton exploded for five runs on five hits in the top of second, scoring all the runs the Beavers would need in game one. Senior Cody McPherson (Northwood/Millbury Lake) singled up the middle to start the inning. One out later, Kyle Trainer (Mechanicsburg) followed suit before an Ian Land (Troy, Mich./Athens) base hit plated McPherson with the first run of the game. Stephen Torres (Lima/Juan Diego) picked up Trainer with his two-out single to right center. Land and Torres executed a double steal with Land crossing the dish. A walk to Nick Broyles (Toledo/Whitmer) kept the frame alive and Tyler Stephenson (Springfield/Northwestern) made Oberlin pay with a two-RBI knock to left field.
The Beavers added an unearned score in the third, making it 6-0 before the home team finally found its stroke in the bottom of the fourth. Two Bluffton errors and three hits added up to four runs by the Yeomen before freshman reliever Jordan Kruse (Napoleon) silenced Oberlin by inducing a double-play grounder which helped the Beavers avoid further damage.
Two more runs for the visitors in the seventh gave Bluffton a comfortable four-run lead which proved to be the final margin. Michael Knorr (Pickerington/North) tripled home pinch runner Anthony Cianci (Ravenna/Southeast) and Kyle Niermann (Napoleon) ended the scoring with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Tyler Stephenson went 2-of-4 with two RBI, while Kyle Trainer was 2-of-2 with two runs scored and two sacrifice bunts. Land and Torres both finished the opener with two hits. Jordan Kruse picked up his first win of the year with four innings of one-hit ball. He struck out two and did not give up a run.
Bluffton 5, Oberlin 4
Oberlin jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first thanks to three hits, a passed ball and a Bluffton throwing error that allowed two runs to score.
The Beavers made a game of it with three runs in the top of the third. Kyle Trainer singled with one down and one out later, Kyle Niermann was hit by a pitch. Josh Mendoza (Gibsonburg/Fremont Ross) reached on an Oberlin miscue and Nick Broyles delivered with a two-RBI triple to the gap in right center.
Cody McPherson came on to pitch in the bottom of the third and set the Yeomen down in order before the Beavers added two more scores in the fourth. Torres plated Miles Richardson (Granville/Newark Catholic) and Michael Knorr, giving Bluffton a 5-4 advantage which McPherson made stand up as he kept the home team off the scoreboard with five innings of shutdown relief.
Nick Broyles was 2-of-4 with two RBI. Torres also knocked in two runs for the Beavers. Cody McPherson allowed just two hits in five innings of shutout relief while fanning seven batters. He improved to 3-4 with the victory.
Bluffton returns to Heartland Conference action with a nine-inning game against Transylvania University on Friday, April 9, 2010. The contest at Memorial Field is slated to start at 4:30 p.m.
-BEAVERS-