BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball team used a pair of outstanding pitching performance to send rival Defiance packing following a sweep of the Yellow Jackets on a cold Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Bluffton improved to 15-18 overall and 8-6 in the Heartland Conference, while Defiance fell to 7-23 and 2-12 in the HCAC.
RBI singles by Joe Fields (Brookeville, Ind./Franklin County) and Garrett O'Reilly (Galena/Orange) in the bottom of the second knotted the score at 2-2 heading to the third. Bluffton finally broke through again in the sixth when O'Reilly picked up Nathaniel DeWeese (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson) with his second RBI single of the game, making it 3-2.
That was enough as the Jackets never scored again after their two-run first. Junior Jacob Boelkens (Millbury/Lake) was dealing after inning number one, allowing just two hits the rest of the way. He fanned six and gave up two unearned runs on five hits. Boelkens issued only one free pass while improving to 4-1 on the season. Spencer Garrison (West Salem/Northwestern) worked a perfect eighth and weekend starter Carson Curnutte (Hilliard/Hilliard Davidson) closed it out for his first save of the season!
O'Reilly, DeWeese and Fields all poked two hits in game one. DeWeese scored twice and O'Reilly drove in a pair of runs.
Bluffton fell behind again in game two when Defiance plated two to open the first inning, but the Yellow Jacket section went silent in a hurry when Bluffton smacked it around for three tallies in the home half! Kenny Schneider (Sunbury/Big Walnut) doubled home Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) and freshman Dylan Gray (Hilliard/Hilliard Bradley) followed with an RBI triple to deep center field. Nick Diana (Batavia/West Clermont) made it 3-2 with his run-scoring single.
Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) plated Baumgartner with an RBI double in the fifth and when he crossed the dish on a fielder's choice, the Right Field Crazies let Defiance know that the Beavers could smell blood in the water!
A perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Ezra Deitering (Ottawa/Miller City) in the sixth and a double steal by Diana and Schneider an inning later had the home team on the verge of an 8-6 mark in the conference. O'Reilly drew an errant pickoff throw at third in the eighth and that was that as he scampered home for the final run in Bluffton's 8-4 game two victory.
Freshman Andrew Collinsworth (Westerville/Westerville South) put up another quality start for the Beavers on Tuesday afternoon. He limited Defiance to three runs on nine hits in seven innings of work. Collinsworth allowed just two hits over his final five innings. It must have felt like deja vu for Defiance as Garrison worked the eighth and O'Reilly made his second move of the game, coming in from left field to slam the door on the Jackets with a scoreless ninth to cap off the quick shutout.
Schneider was a perfect 4-of-4, playing in front of the Crazies. Baumgartner went 3-of-5 and Diana added two knocks. Baumgartner and Schneider both scored twice and Gray finished with two runs batted in.
Bluffton will hit the road for a 4 p.m. meeting with the Albion College Britons on Wednesday, April 27.
-BEAVERS-
