BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball team held on for a split with rival Earlham College on a windy Monday, March 25, 2024. Bluffton moved to 6-11 and 1-3 in the Heartland Conference, while Earlham stands 8-8 and 2-2 in the HCAC.
Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) laced a two-run double in the bottom of the first and then he came around to score thanks to a wild pitch that put Bluffton up 3-1. An Earlham club that scored in each of the first seven innings plated four in the second, five in the third and three in the fourth to take a commanding 13-5 lead.
Following an RBI single by Towell in the sixth, junior Evan Houseman (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) delivered a grand slam, but the Quakers had too much firepower in the lidlifter as Earlham got it done with a 19-11 victory.
Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) and Towell both rapped three hits in the lidlifter, while Towell and Houseman drove in four apiece. Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge), Matthew Mitchell (Amelia/McNicholas), Towell and Baumgartner all scored two runs.
Jaden Jaques (New Palestine, IN) fell to 1-2 after allowing 10 runs on nine hits in three innings of work. He walked four and struck out one.
Bluffton trailed 3-2 when the Beavers came to the plate in the fourth inning. Three straight hits and a sacrifice fly put Bluffton up 4-3 before Houseman's second long ball of the day made the score 6-3.
Maurer and Houseman were in the middle of it again two innings later, rapping back-to-back hits. A pair of wild pitches pushed the lead to 8-3. Earlham cut its deficit to 8-7 in the ninth and had two runners on, but senior Sean Brock (Wauseon) came in and fanned the last two Quakers for his first save of the season!
Going 3-of-4 with two runs scored was Maurer. Ezra Deitering (Ottawa/Miller City), Tyler Fuller (Lewis Center/Orange), Baumgartner and Houseman all tallied two hits in game two. Bummy, Maurer and Houseman all scored twice in the 8-7 victory.
Junior Wyatt Groves (Marengo/Highland) picked up his first win of the season after giving the Beavers what they needed. He went 6.1 innings, allowing five runs, three earned, with five strikeouts against just one walk. Brock closed it out with two pressure-packed strikeouts.
Bluffton will be back at Memorial Field for a non-conference battle with Baldwin Wallace on Tuesday, March 26. The first pitch is slated for 4:15 p.m.
-BEAVERS-