BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball team opened its Anderson home series with a pair of losses to the Ravens on a warm Saturday, April 27, 2024. Bluffton fell to 9-26 overall and 4-13 in the Heartland Conference, while Anderson upped its mark to 22-13 and 12-5 in the HCAC.
The Beavers were trailing 9-0 when Ezra Deitering (Ottawa/Miller City) singled home Drew Snipes (Pickerington/North) in the bottom of the seventh. Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) followed with an RBI base hit to left field that picked up Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start). A two-run single by Baumgartner an inning later drove in Seth Altman (Hilliard/Hilliard Davidson) and Brody Hammersley (Coshocton), but Anderson closed out game one with a 9-4 victory over the Beavers.
Baumgartner went 3-of-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Matthew Mitchell (Amelia/McNicholas), Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) and Hammersley all chipped in with two hits. Towell became the all-time leader in career at bats and he has 640 AB's heading into Sunday.
Riley Reyna (Wellington) took the loss, but he was solid in giving up four runs on five hits in 5.2 innings of work. He struck out five and walked three while slipping to 1-3 on the season. Senior Sean Brock (Wauseon) tossed two shutout frames to close out game one, giving up just one hit.
Hammersley put Bluffton up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning in game two. His single to right scored Baumgartner who opened the frame with a base knock. With the game tied 1-1 in the fourth, Towell scored on a wild pitch and Baumgartner single home Altman for a 3-1 Bluffton advantage. The wheels came off in the fifth, however, when Anderson churned out 11 runs on seven hits with three errors.
A two-run homer by Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) pulled Bluffton within 12-5 in the seventh, but that brought the scoring to an end as the visitors capped off their Saturday sweep.
Baumgartner added three more hits to his resume and his walk allowed the second baseman to tie the school mark with 79 career free passes. Maurer and Hammersley both notched a pair of safeties in game two. Hammersley finished the day 4-of-6 at the dish!
Ben Eisenhauer (San Jose, Cal./Leigh) fell to 1-5 after allowing six runs on seven hits in 4+ innings of work. He was outstanding through the first four innings, limiting the Ravens to just one run. William Nowakowski (Grand Rapids/Swanton) gave the Beavers 4.1 innings of superb relief. He pitched a shutout, allowing just two hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
Bluffton will be back at Memorial Field for Senior Day on Sunday, April 28. The series finale is slated for 12 p.m. following the senior ceremony.
-BEAVERS-
