By: Colton Steiner
WESTERVILLE, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball team hit the road to face off against the Otterbein Cardinals in their final game before the Beavers kick off conference play. After Bluffton took a 5-0 lead, the home team would claw back and score four unanswered runs in the final two innings to knock off the Beavers 9-8. Otterbein improved to 9-8 on the season, while Bluffton dropped to 2-10 overall.
Senior Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) would get the Beavers offense rolling in the first inning, pounding his first home run of the season over the left field fence to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. In the top of the third inning, Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) would increase the Bluffton lead to 3-0 with his single to right center, scoring Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) and Trey Pipenger (Richmond, Ind.). The Beavers would continue their onslaught with a run off a passed ball and another tally thanks to an Ayden Spriggs (North Lewisburg/Triad) sacrifice fly which plated Justin Maurer.
Trailing 5-0, the Cardinals would get on the board after hitting a two-run dinger to left field which cut the lead to three in the bottom of the fifth. Bluffton would add another run in the top of the sixth with an RBI single from Justin Maurer to put them up front 6-2. The home team would respond with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning, followed by a two-run shot to left to cut the Beaver lead to 6-5.
In the top of the seventh inning, the Beavers would score a pair of runs off a Trey Pipenger single and then a walk, bringing home Brandon North (Hilliard/Bradley) while pushing the lead to 8-5. After shutting out the Cardinals in the 7th inning, the home team trimmed its deficit with two runs off a triple to right in the bottom of the eigth to make it a one-run ballgame. Bluffton would be unable to score in the top of the ninth and in the bottom of the ninth with a runner on base, Otterbein would hit a walk-off homer to left center for a 9-8 win over the Beavers.
Bluffton was led by Justin Maurer who went 3-for-4 on the day, finishing just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Maurer scored twice and drove in two runs while Trey Pipenger would collect three hits as well. Also notching a pair of RBI was Jack Towell while Drew Snipes and Jake McCoy each drew a pair of walks in the contest.
Starting the day on the mound for the Beavers was Jaden Jaques (New Palestine, Ind.), who went 5.2 innings, allowing four earned runs off eight hits with one walk and one strikeout. Picking up the loss and moving to 1-1 on the season was Matthew Becher (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) who fanned three batters and allowed four runs off three Otterbein hits.
Next up for Bluffton will be a home series against the Transylvania University Pioneers on Saturday, March 22, The first pitch of game one is slated for 12 p.m. Come out and support your Beavers!
-BEAVERS-