By: Colton Steiner
ANDERSON, Ind. - The Bluffton University baseball squad traveled west to go up against Anderson University in a doubleheader on a very windy day at Don Brandon Field. After going ahead early in game one (5-2), the Beavers would allow seven unanswered runs from the Ravens en route to a 9-5 setback. The bats for the Anderson would stay hot through game two as the home team would cruise to a 14-4 mercy-rule win over Bluffton. The Beavers dropped to 3-13 overall and 1-3 in the Heartland Conference, while the Ravens improved to 13-7 on the season and 3-1 in HCAC play.
After both teams were able to get on the board in the first inning, the Beavers would jump ahead 3-1 following a Jake McCoy (Milford) double to left center which scored Drew Snipes (Pickerington/North) and Wes Toth (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) in the top of the of the second. The scoring outburst would continue when Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) drove a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Trey Pipenger (Richmond, Ind.) and extending Bluffton's lead to 4-1.
In the bottom of the second, the home team would answer with a solo homer to right center, cutting the Beaver lead to two. Following a run in the top of the third from the Beavers, Anderson would then answer with a pair of runs to make the score 5-4 in favor of the visitors.
The Ravens loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh for Zac Stawski, who had launched a bomb earlier in the day, who cleared the bases with his grand slam which put the home team up 8-5. Anderson tacked on another run with a solo dinger to right center in the home eighth for a 9-5 spread.
Bluffton was led by Jake McCoy who went 2-for-4 in game one with a double and a pair of RBIs. Drew Snipes also collected a pair of hits and accounted for two runs in the contest, while Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) and Brandon North (Hilliard/Bradley) added a hit apiece.
Jaden Jaques (New Palestine, Ind.) would start the day on the hill and he tossed six innings, allowing four runs off five hits while walking four and picking up a strikeout. Taking the loss was Wyatt Groves (Marengo, Ohio/Highland) who dropped to 0-3 on the season after allowing four runs off three hits in only two-thirds of an inning.
After a scorelss first inning to start game two, the Beavers would get on the board when an Evan Houseman (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) single moved Zane Sarcheck (Sunbury/Big Walnut) to third before a throwing error allowed Sarcheck to score, putting Bluffton up 1-0. The lead would be short-lived, however, as the Ravens would erupt for four runs in the bottom of the inning to go up 4-1.
Anderson would ride that momentum in the fourth inning when the Ravens added four more runs to extend their lead to 8-1. The Beavers would finally get some offense in the top of the fifth after a two-run single from Jake McCoy and a Maurer sacrifice fly plated Trey Pipenger to cut the gap to 8-4. Even though Bluffton was able to hold Anderson scoreless in the fifth, the bats would get hot in the bottom of the sixth as the Ravens would explode for five runs to go up 13-4 heading to the seventh. Following a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh and a wild pitch, Anderson would take an advantage of the run-rule when an RBI single made the final score 14-4.
The Beavers struggled to get the bats going, only collecting seven hits in game two. Ayden Spriggs (North Lewisburg/Triad) led the charge, collecting two hits while Jake McCoy drove in two runs.
Matthew Becher (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) fell to 1-2 after going three innings and allowing three earned runs off seven hits, while fanning three batters and walking three. Andrew Collinsworth (Westerville/Westerville South) fired three strikeouts in his 1.2 innings of work.
Bluffton will get right back into action on Tuesday, March 25, when the Beavers travel to Baldwin Wallace for a non-conference matchup with the Yellow Jackets at 4 p.m.
-BEAVERS-