By: Ethan Stearns, sports information assistant
ALBION, Mich. - The Bluffton University baseball team won two games on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. The lidlifter saw its first six innings of action on March 20 and it ended in an 11-7 victory before the Beavers moved to 18-12 on the season with a convincing 9-2 win in the final of a three-game series.
In a game that took 37 days and two states to complete, Bluffton held off Albion College by a final score of 11-7 on a beautifual Wednesday afternoon. The Beavers led 10-3 at Memorial Field when the game was suspended due to darkness back on March 20.
There was a lot of heavy hitting for the home squad back in March as eight of the 10 runs were scored off of homers. Bluffton added one more run in the seventh after the move to Albion. Ayden Spriggs (North Lewisburg/Triad) led off the home half, in Michigan, with a leadoff triple and he made it 11-3 when Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) grounded out to third. The visitors on the scoreboard put up a four spot in the eighth, but Bluffton capped off the March 20 sweep with an 11-7 victory.
The first three runs would come from a Towell bomb to straightaway center that scored Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) and Nick Diana (Batavia/West Clermont).
Deitering got in on the action in the fourth with a two-run dinger of his own, plating Nathaniel DeWeese (Columbus/Hilliard Davidson) in the process. Three batters later, Towell would repeat history as he slugged yet another three-run shot, this time to left center.
Bluffton scored two more runs in the sixth inning before the game was halted. Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) brought in Baumgartner after hitting a deep ball and then hopping on his high horse for a triple. He would then cross the plate following a sacrifice fly from Austin Francis (Troy/Miami East).
Towell was scorching against the Britons, going 2-of-5 with two dingers and seven RBI which established a new single-game RBI mark for the Beavers. Deitering plated two runs with his long ball. The four triples accumulated over 37 days also knotted the school single-game mark!
Jacob Boelkens (Milbury/Lake) tossed five innings, allowing only two runs while striking out six batters. Junior Seth Altman (Hilliard/Davidson) pitched three frames, allowing five runs on eight hits with four strikeouts. Max Link (Maria Stein/Marion Local) capped it off with a shutout ninth as the Beavers moved to 17-12 on the season.
Bluffton jumped out quickly in game two, scoring two runs in the first inning and one more in the second in order to take 3-0 lead. After Diana drew a free pass in the first and his high school teammate, Jack Towell, launched a double down the right field line, Justin Mauer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) picked them both up with a perfectly placed single to left center field, giving the Beavers a 2-0 lead after one.
The visitors scored once again in the second when Grant Hovest (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) grounded out, plating Francis who led off the frame with a triple.
Bluffton ended a string of five scoreless frames when the visitors went off with a six-run spree! Maurer broke the ice when he walked with the bases loaded, allowing Hovest to score. A hit by pitch for Adam Yoh (Milford) made it 5-0 as Diana crossed the dish. Towell scurried home thanks to an Albion wild pitch before Spriggs delivered a three-run triple to right field that emptied the bases and added three RBI's to his stat line!
Albion scored two harmless runs in their half of the ninth frame which capped of an outstanding 9-2 victory for the Bluffton Beavers!
Maurer and Spriggs combined for six total RBI as they both drove in three runs. Hovest and Yoh added one RBI apiece.
Sophomore Wyatt Groves (Marengo/Highland) moved to 1-1 with a great performance, allowing only two hits in five shutout innings on the bump! Darius Boeke (Sidney) stood in for three scoreless innings, giving up just three hits and one walk. Josh Slade (Cincinnati/Madeira) worked the ninth with one strikeout and no walks as Bluffton wrapped up its non-conference slate on Wednesday night.
Bluffton will look to carry the momentum back into Heartland Conference action on Saturday, April 29, when the Beavers head to Franklin College for a double dipper with the HCAC leaders. Game number one is set to begin at 1 p.m.
-BEAVERS-
