March 28, 2014
BLUFFTON, Ohio - A furious ninth-inning rally came up just short as Otterbein University held on for the 7-6 victory over Bluffton on a cold Friday, March 28, 2014 at Memorial Field. The Beavers fell to 7-8 on the season following a fourth straight setback while the visiting Cardinals improved to 10-6 on the season.
With Otterbein holding a 7-3 lead in the home half of the ninth, a Cardinal error, a hit batter and a walk loaded the sacks with one out. Freshman Clayton Siders (Delaware/Worthington Christian) singled home Tim Webb (Delaware/Worthington Christian) to start the comeback. Junior Michael Alexander (Monroe) followed suit with a base knock that plated Blake Fox (Berne Ind./South Adams). David Ianiro's (Highland Heights/Mayfield) sacrifice fly made it 7-6 as Jeff Roth (Bellevue) crossed the dish, but a fly ball ended the threat as Otterbein slipped out of Allen County with the victory.
Bluffton responded to Otterbein's two first inning runs with a pair of scores in the home half as Tyler Spalding (Willis, Mich./Lincoln) delivered an RBI single before a Cardinal error allowed him to make it 2-2 after one frame.
The visitors scored four times over the next five innings before Blake Fox lifted a sacrifice fly to left in the bottom of the seventh, setting the stage for the near comeback in the final frame.
Michael Alexander and Mike Castro (Reynoldsburg) both went 3-of-5 on a windy Friday night at Memorial Field. Clayton Siders added two safeties for the Beavers. Corey Johnson (Waverly) lost his first decision of the year after allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits in four innings of work. He fanned three and walked one in his second start of the season.
Bluffton jumps right back into action on Saturday, March 29, when the Beavers travel to Manchester University for the first two contests of a Heartland Conference series with the Spartans. Game one is slated for 12 p.m. in North Manchester, Ind. Check the Bluffton University Baseball page for weather related updates.
-BEAVERS-