By: Ethan Stearns, sports information assistant
BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Bluffton University baseball team played an instant classic at Memorial Field on Good Friday, April 7, rallying four times for a 7-6 victory over HCAC-power Earlham College in a 12-inning thriller! The Beavers improved to 12-8 with an impressive 6-1 mark in the Heartland Conference. Earlham dipped to 14-8 overall and 4-3 in the HCAC.
After two scoreless frames to open the game, Earlham was able to take a 2-0 lead thanks to a walk, two hits and a sacrifice fly. That two-run edge held up through the first seven innings as the Beavers managed just a first-inning single by Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) until things got interesting in the eighth.
Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) smacked a one-out double to get the offense rolling. A Nick Diana (Batavia/West Clermont) base hit and Ezra Deitering (Ottawa/Miller City) groundout put two runners in scoring position for designated hitter Kenny Schneider (Sunbury/Big Walnut) who stepped up to bat at the perfect time, connecting on a missile to right field that sent both Diana and Maurer home with the game-tying runs!
After a scoreless ninth frame, it was time for extra innings where the home squad would continue its comeback with a string of clutch plays.
The visitors took advantage of a Bluffton error in the top of the 10th, scoring an unearned run for a 3-2 lead, but Diana responded promptly with a moon shot that soared over the fence down the left field line and tied things up at three going into the second extra inning.
The 11th played out much like the previous inning. Earlham went up 4-3 when Quaker standout Nathan Lancianese went yard, however, Baumgartner took notes from Diana with his first dinger of the season which sent the game to inning twelve!
Earlham was seemingly on the edge of victory for the third time in three innings when the Quakers put two tallies on the board, but Bluffton was more than up to the task. A walk to Deitering, a single from Schneider and a wild pitch put two Beavers in scoring position for freshman Kaden Bowman (Hilliard/Hilliard Davidson) who singled to left, making it 6-5.
Another Earlham wild pitch and a swinging bunt by Hovest left the bags full of Beavers for Baumgartner and he promptly unloaded them with a walkoff double to the wall in left center, treating the Memorial Field faithful to a 7-6 victory that took three hours and 30 minutes!
Baumgartner turned in one of his best performances of the season, driving in three runs on three hits. Schneider was all over it as well, adding two RBIs on two hits with one run scored. Diana scored twice in the improbable victory.
Senior Jacob Boelkens (Millbury/Lake) was outstanding in 6.1 innings of work, allowing only two runs and striking out three of the 27 faced batters he faced. Jordan Fent (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) worked the final inning, moving to 2-0 on the season and striking out one without a walk.
Bluffton looks to continue its impressive play against Earlham with a doubleheader at home on Saturday, April 8. The first game is slated for 12 p.m.
-BEAVERS-