By: Ethan Stearns, sports information assistant
BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Bluffton University baseball team split a doubleheader with HCAC-rival Anderson on Sunday, March 26, 2023, winning the first game 10-9 before falling 19-3 in game two. The Beavers moved to 6-7 overall and 1-1 in the Heartland Conference while Anderson University stands 11-6 and 1-1 in the HCAC.
After a scoreless first inning, the home team went up 2-1 in the second thanks to a two-run long ball from Grant Hovest (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf), sent over the fence in right field and scoring Ayden Spriggs (North Lewisburg/Triad).
Things slowed down offensively for Bluffton over the next couple of innings as they went scoreless while allowing four more to the Ravens who led 5-2 going into the fifth.
Senior Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) got his squad back on track with a solo shot down the left field line to bring the Beavers within striking distance in the bottom of the fifth.
The seventh and eight frames saw the bats get scorching hot for Bluffton as the home team outscored the Ravens, 7-4, to walk away with the victory. Spriggs was able to get in for another run in the seventh, racing home after a wild pitch. Hovest then crossed the dish following a groundout to the shortstop from Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start).
Five more scoring marks would go up for Bluffton University in the eighth inning. The first one came when Spriggs worked a walk with the bases loaded, bringing Ezra Deitering (Ottawa/Miller City) safely in for the score and cutting the deficit to three, 9-6. With a new pitcher on the mound, Baumgartner took notes from his teammate and he drew a walk as well, scoring Kaden Bowman (Hilliard/Hilliard Davidson) and pulling his squad within two.
With the bases loaded and the right person at the plate, Towell stepped up and buried the Ravens with a three-run double to the wall in left center! His rip gave the Beavers a 10-9 lead which they made stand up in the ninth for another improbable Beavers victory.
Towell continued his excellent start to the season, adding two extra-base hits and four more RBI's to his stat sheet. Hovest and Baumgartner both had hits for a pair of RBI's. Spriggs added two hits and a RBI to the effort.
Carson Curnutte (Hilliard/Hilliard Davidson) went 3.1 innings in his start, throwing four strikeouts while allowing five runs. Jaden Jaques (New Palestine) pulled in his first victory of the season (1-1) and he had a strikeout in the eighth. Tuesday starter Andrew Collinsworth (Westerville/Westerville South) got the save, closing things out with a perfect ninth inning.
The second game had a distinctly different flavor as Anderson smacked 22 hits in a 19-3 mercy-rule victory over the Beavers.
Bluffton stuck around for the first three innings, trailing by a manageable six runs, but the fourth is where Anderson blew things open and ran away with the game, putting up 10 runs on the way to a 16-0 lead.
The Beavers were not able to get on the board until the seventh and final inning when Carson Kindred (Brookville/Troy Christian) raced home after a muffed throw at first. Caleb Giesken (Leipsic/Miller City) stepped up and slapped an RBI single, scoring Nathaniel DeWeese (Columbus/Hilliard Davidson) and Ethan Moore (Bellefontaine) touched home thanks to a throwing error from Anderson.
Brady Mitosinka (Ida, Mich./Ida) and Giesken drove in the only runs for their squad. Seven different pitchers took the mound in the second game. Jacob Boelkens (Millbury/Lake) suffered the loss, allowing six runs and one walk in his two+ innings of work. Freshman Brody Symsick (Galion) allowed only just one run in his inning on the bump.
The Beavers will look to take the rubber match when they welcome Anderson back for a single game that has been rescheduled to Tuesday, March 28. The first pitch is slated for 4:15 p.m.
-BEAVERS-
