By: Ethan Stearns, sports information assistant

NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Bluffton University baseball team came up short in a Heartland Conference game at Manchester University, 10-3, on a sunny Wednesday, April 19. It completed a three-game series between the two teams that saw Manchester the victor in all three matchups. Bluffton fell to 14-12 on the season and 8-4 in the conference while the Spartans upped their mark to 16-12 overall and 7-4 in the HCAC.

Bluffton took a quick lead in the first inning as Grant Hovest (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) was able to sprint home after Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) lifted a sacrifice fly into left field. It gave the Beavers their only lead of the game as they were up 1-0 after one frame.

Manchester outscored the visitors, 3-0, in the second through fifth innings, putting the home team up 3-1 after five. The Beavers put another score on the board in the sixth as Hovest picked up Adam Yoh (Milford) with a base knock through the left side, pulling the Beavers within one run, 3-2.

After Manchester went up 4-2 in the bottom of frame six, Yoh launched his second two-bagger of the game into left center. It sent junior Ezra Deitering (Ottawa/Miller City) racing across the dish. Unfortunately for Bluffton, the Spartans put together a massive six-run eighth inning to cap off their 10-3 victory.

Yoh continued his hot hitting with a 3-of-4 afternoon at Manchester. Hovest added two safeties, a run and an RBI.

Jaden Jaques (New Palestine, Ind.) took the hard-luck loss, allowing three runs, but just one earned, on six hits over five innings with five strikeouts. Sophomore Nathan Young (Copley) worked 1.1 scoreless frames and Andrew Collinsworth (Westerville/South) closed out the eighth with three outs, including a strikeout.

The men will head home for their next series which features a Heartland Conference doubleheader with Mt. St. Joseph on Saturday, April 22. The first game is slated for 1 p.m. at Memorial Field.

-BEAVERS-