April 24, 2010
By: Brandy Bidlack, sports information assistant
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball team worked around a two-hour delay between games to secure a sweep of Hanover College on Saturday, April 24, 2010. The Beavers improved to 13-18 overall and 3-10 in the Heartland Conference, while Hanover fell to 12-19 on the year and 3-11 in HCAC play.
Bluffton 8, Hanover 6
In the bottom of the second, Tyler Stephenson (Springfield/Northwestern) homered over the center field fence to put Bluffton up 1-0. The very next inning, things heated up for the Beavers when sophomore Nick Broyles (Toledo/Whitmer) slammed a three-run shot to left center, plating Josh Runda (Lima/Bath) and Stephen Torres (Lima/Juan Diego) who sandwiched singles around a Kyle Niermann (Napoleon) sacrifice bunt. After walking Stephenson, Brennan Bauman (Milford) made his mark with a two-run shot to left field, giving Bluffton the 6-0 advantage over Hanover.
Following a single up the middle and stolen base, Stephen Torres raced for the plate as Broyles hit a ground-rule double to right field in the bottom of the fourth. The Panthers responded in the top of the fifth as Kevin Sears had a solo home run to center field.
In the bottom of the same inning, a Hanover fielding error put Miles Richardson (Granville/Newark Catholic) on first. After a balk and groundout to first, Richardson came home thanks to a Kyle Niermann base knock, putting the Beavers up 8-1.
The Hanover offense ignited in the sixth with four runs, including three doubles and two singles, while the defense prevented any hits or runs for the home team. Despite one more tally for the Panthers in the seventh inning, the Beavers were too much for the visitors as Bluffton defeated Hanover, 8-6, in the first game of the twin-bill.
Both Torres and Stephenson crossed the plate twice. Torres went 2-for-3 at the plate and Broyles had four RBI. Brennan Bauman drove in two runs for the victors.
Adrian Fritch (Edon) tallied five strikeouts in his second win of the 2010 season. Senior Cody McPherson (Northwood/Millbury Lake) picked up his second save with one strikeout in the seventh inning.
Bluffton 7, Hanover 6 (10 innings)
After a two-hour rain delay between games, neither team could put up a tally on the score board until the bottom of the fifth when the home team sparked its offense with a double to left center by Michael Knorr (Pickerington/North). A sacrifice bunt from McPherson advanced Knorr to third before a Kyle Trainer (Mechanicsburg) RBI single to right field made it 1-0. With Trainer on second and Miles Richardson on third, Stephen Torres' single to left brought both players home as the Beavers took a 3-0 lead.
The Panthers sliced the deficit to one the following inning with three hits that resulted in two runs. Brennan Bauman retaliated with a solo home run to center field, making it 4-2 Bluffton.
After Hanover's Chris Slaughter crossed the plate in the seventh, the Beavers took charge in the bottom of the eighth inning. Tyler Stephenson singled up the middle and advanced to second thanks to a sacrifice bunt from Bauman. After moving to third on a wild pitch, Stephenson raced home on Knorr's single to left center.
Not ready to go down without a fight, the Panthers pulled together in the ninth, adding two runs off of only one hit to tie the score at five. In the top of the 10th inning, Hanover's Will Pappano eased his way around the bases and crossed the plate on a wild pitch.
Down by one in extra innings, McPherson singled to right and took second on a sacrifice bunt from Richardson. Trainer's infield hit put McPherson on third, and a walk to Kyle Niermann loaded the bases for Bluffton. Torres stepped up and calmly doubled to left center, sending both McPherson and Trainer home for a 7-6 victory and Saturday sweep of the Panthers.
Knorr went 3-for-4 at the plate while Torres, Stephenson, Trainer, and Richardson all had two hits in the game. Trainer was the only Beaver to cross the plate twice and Torres produced four RBI. Sophomore starter Ryan Leugers (Botkins) struck out four batters in six innings of work. Freshman Jordan Kruse (Napoleon) fanned one batter in his third win of the year.
Bluffton will host Hanover in a nine-inning game on Sunday, April 25, 2010. The contest between the Beavers and the Panthers is slated for a noon start at Memorial Field.
-BEAVERS-