By: Colton Steiner

COLUMBUS, Ohio - In a game that was moved up a day due to weather, the Bluffton University baseball team would face off against Capital University Comets in a double header on Friday, March 14. Despite the Beavers jumping ahead early, the Comets would respond with an outburst of runs on the way to a 12-9 win in game one. Game two would be a nail-biter with the result coming down to the final inning where a walk-off single propelled the Comets a 5-4 win, completing a two-game sweep of the Beavers. Bluffton saw its record slip to 2-9 on the season while Capital improved to 8-8 overall.

In the first game of the afternoon, the Comets would get on the board early with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the first to go up 2-0. Bluffton would immediately respond in the top of the second when a double from Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) down the left field line scored Brandon North (Hilliard/Bradley) and Drew Snipes (Pickerington/North), evening the game at 2-2. The Beavers would continue their scoring outburst with a pair of RBI singles from Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) and Ayden Spriggs (North Lewisburg/Triad) to put them ahead 4-2.

The Beaver lead was to be short lived, with Capital scoring two runs in the third and then three runs in the fifth to to up 7-4. Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) would then get the Beaver offense rolling with a single to left field that plated Trey Pipenger (Richmond, Ind.), making it a two-run ballgame. With bases loaded, Spriggs was able to smack a double through the right side, scoring Jack Towell and Jake Baumgartner to even up the score at 7-7.

However, the Comets would respond by scoring four unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh innings to go up 11-7. Going into the top of the eighth with Maurer on base, Spriggs would smoke a two-run dinger to cut the deficit to 11-9. Capital would again answer with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning after an RBI single put the Comets up 12-9. Trailing by three runs, Bluffton had one last chance at the plate, but three straight strikeouts sealed the three-run Capital victory.

Leading the charge at the plate was Ayden Spriggs who went 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBI. Justin Maurer and Jack Towell also got it done, connecting for three hits apiece along with each driving in a run. Taking the loss was sophomore Riley Reyna (Wellington) who dropped his first decision of the season. Reyna went 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits while fanning six batters.

Bluffton would open up the second game with Ayden Spriggs scoring in the top of the second to give the Beavers a 1-0 lead, but in the bottom of the inning, two runs from the Comets would give Capital a 2-1 advantage. The home team added another run in the bottom of the third with an double down the left field line to extend the lead to 3-1.

Bluffton was able to get the offensive gears churning, scoring off a throwing error from the Comets while making it a one-run game. In the sixth inning, a pair of pitching woes from Capital would give the Beavers a 4-3 lead after the visitors were able to bring home runs off a walk and a hit by pitch. Following a double to left center in the bottom of the inning, the Comets would bring home the tying run to even up the contest at four apiece. The two teams remained deadlocked until the bottom of the ninth when Capital would have bases loaded with one out and then squeak a single through the left side, bringing home the game-winning run and handing the Beavers a 5-4 defeat.

Jake Baumgartner would have a game at the plate, going 3-of-5 and securing Bluffton's lone extra base hit with a double through the left side in the top of the third inning. Also smacking a pair of safeties were Ayden Spriggs and Drew Snipes, with Spriggs accounting for two of the Beaver's four runs.

Freshman Colton Murfield (Mansfield/Lexington) fell to 0-1 on the season despite allowing just one run on three hits in 2.0 innings of relief. Starting the day on the mound was senior Nathan Young (Copley) would tossed 6.1 innings, giving up three earned runs on seven hits while firing six strikeouts.

Bluffton will look to end this four-game losing streak when the Beavers travel to Otterbein on Wednesday, March 19, with the first pitch being set at 4 p.m.

-BEAVERS-