April 10, 2011
By: Mallory Kemper, sports information intern

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball team faced Heartland Conference rival Rose-Hulman and fans at Memorial Stadium witnessed the Beavers drop two HCAC games, 13-6 and 26-11, as the Engineers scored two or more runs in each inning of the second game except the second on Sunday, April 10. With the two losses, the Beavers fell to 1-9 in the conference and 9-16 overall, while the Engineers improved to 17-9 overall and 7-3 in the HCAC.

Rose-Hulman came out strong in the first three innings against the Beavers, scoring one run in the first, two in the second and two in the third. Bluffton responded in the bottom of the third inning with a leadoff double by Tim Webb (Delaware). Kyle Trainer (Mechanicsburg) hit a single and Webb went home following an error by the Engineers. Kyle Niermann (Napoleon) lifted a sacrifice fly, giving Trainer the green light to cross home plate.

Nick Broyles (Toledo/Whitmer) stepped to the plate and blasted a home run, trimming the deficit to 5-4. The Beavers knotted the game with a pair of runs in the home half of the fourth, but an inning later Rose-Hulman put together two doubles and three singles, scoring seven runs for a 13-6 win over the home team.

Nick Rodesky (Bowling Green) took the loss, dropping his record to 0-4 after allowing three hits and five runs in one inning of work. Jordan Kruse (Napoleon) started the game for Bluffton. Kruse gave up seven hits and six runs in just 3.2 innings of work. Nick Broyles tallied two hits, one run and two RBI with his third-inning dinger. Tim Webb went 2-for-2 and scored two runs. Kyle Trainer added three hits and two runs for the Beavers.

In the third inning of game two, Rose-Hulman continued its offensive assault, scoring five runs. Bobby Newman hit a grand slam to give the Engineers a 7-1 lead after a Bluffton miscue kept the inning alive. Bluffton came back in the bottom of the third with a leadoff single by Niermann. Broyles stepped to the plate and ripped a two-run triple which allowed Niermann and Miles Richardson (Granvile/Newark Catholic) to score.

The Engineers tacked on four runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and two in the sixth to go ahead 15-9. With Bluffton struggling to get outs, Rose-Hulman added five more runs on five hits in the seventh to put the game on ice. In the ninth inning, the Engineers tacked on another four runs with doubles by Michael Kovacs and Derek Dauenbaugh before run-scoring singles by Niermann and Richardson in the bottom of the frame made the final score 26-11.

Game two starter Tyler Gibson (Sylvania/Southview) fell to 0-3 as Bluffton used six pitchers in the contest. Gibson went 3.1 innings, giving up nine runs, just four earned, on eight hits. Kyle Niermann finished game two 4-for-6 with two runs scored. Airic Steagall (Hillsboro) and Nick Broyles added two scores. Tyler Wright (Troy), Tyler Stephenson (Springfield/Northwestern), Richardson and Broyles all drove in two runs for the Beavers.

Derek Dauenbaugh went an outstanding 4-of-5, scoring six runs and adding eight RBI. Newman also added six RBI. Kevin Farley picked up the win, improving to 2-0, allowing just three hits and one run in 3.2 innings of solid relief.

Bluffton will next hit the diamond at Earlham on Tuesday, April 12, in a Heartland Conference contest that is scheduled for 6 p.m.

-BEAVERS-