BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball team kicked off its home slate in style with a pair of convincing wins over Ohio Wesleyan on a beautiful Sunday, March 20, 2022. Bluffton upped its season mark to 5-6, while the Battling Bishops fell to 3-8.
Bluffton built a 4-0 lead, scoring in four of the first six innings before a five-run explosion put the Beavers up 9-0 heading to the eighth. Jeff Strayer (Columbus/Thomas Worthington) and Nick Diana (Batavia/West Clermont) smacked two-baggers before sophomore Kenny Schneider (Sunbury/Big Walnut) singled home Diana and Adam Yoh (Milford), putting Bluffton on the verge of a mercy-rule finish.
Ohio Wesleyan made it 9-1 in the top of the eighth, but the Beavers responded with two in the home half, putting the Battling Bishops out of their misery. Garrett O'Reilly (Galena/Orange) scored on a wild pitch and Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) crossed the dish when Schneider was hit by a pitch for the game-winning RBI.
Schneider was unstoppable at the dish, going 5-of-5 with three RBI in game one. He reached base all six times on his way to a 7-of-10 afternoon! Yoh went 3-of-4, while Strayer, Towell and Brandon Wilson (Casstown/Miami East) all smacked two hits as Bluffton pounded out 17 in game one. Yoh drove in three runs, while Towell scored three times
As good as the hitting was, O'Reilly may have been even better. The big right-hander fanned eight in a complete-game six-hitter that saw the visitors score just one harmless run in the final inning. He did not walk a batter and needed just 99 pitches to secure his first win of the season against no losses.
Bluffton picked right up where they left off to start game two, bolting out to a 4-1 lead after three frames. Schneider delivered the big hit, a two-run triple to the wall in right field. The Battling Bishops made it 4-3 with a pair of tallies in the fifth, but the Beavers responded in the home half with an RBI double from O'Reilly who crossed the dish himself following Towell's base hit to center.
Towell doubled home O'Reilly in the seventh and Wilson drove in Towell for an 8-4 Bluffton lead after seven innings. With two outs in the eighth, Grant Hovest (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) singled through the left side and Strayer followed with a rocket shot to left, making the final score 10-5 in favor of the good guys.
Towell was 3-of-4 with two RBI. Schneider, O'Reilly and Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) all chimed in with two hits in the nightcap. Schneider and Strayer drove in two apiece, while Hovest, Strayer and O'Reilly all scored twice.
Carson Curnutte (Hilliard/Hilliard Davidson) moved to 1-1 after limiting the visitors to four runs, two earned, on nine hits in six innings of work. Eddie Budinski (Louisville) worked the seventh and eighth and Seth Evans (Ada/OSU-Lima) closed it out with two punchouts in the ninth as Bluffton won its fourth straight game!
Bluffton is in the midst of six straight home games with Otterbein University coming to town on Tuesday, March 22. Many thanks are in order for Coach Powell and his Cardinals who got the Beavers moved to their hotel when the flight from Fort Myers was canceled a week ago! The first pitch is slated for 4:15 at Memorial Field.
-BEAVERS-
