By: Colton Steiner
HANOVER, Ind. - The Bluffton University baseball team traveled across state lines to face off against the Hanover College Panthers in a Sunday HCAC doubleheader. After falling 6-4 in the first game, the Beavers would take a 6-3 loss in game two, dropping to 8-27-1 on the season 5-14 in the HCAC. Hanover improved to 14-21 overall and 10-9 in conference play.
The home team would get on the board first in the bottom of the second after a hit by pitch with the bases loaded, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead. After back-to-back scoreless innings, the Beavers would even up the score in the top of the fifth after a sacrifice fly from Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start) picked up freshman Jake McCoy (Milford), making it 1-1.. The scoring wouldn't end there as a second sacrifice fly by Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) drove in Trey Pipenger (Richmond, Ind.) from third, putting Bluffton up 2-1.
The Beavers then took advantage of a Hanover throwing error for another run in the sixth, giving the visitors a 3-1 leaad. In the bottom of the seventh, the Panthers would get the bats rolling, scoring five runs to take a 6-3 lead late in the contest. After a scoreless eighth, Bluffton was able to cut the deficit to 6-4 with a third sacrifice fly, but the gap would be too much to overcome as Hanover held on for the 6-4 victory.
Trey Pipenger led the way for Bluffton, smacking three hits while scoring a run in four plate appearences. Adding two hits apiece were Brandon North (Hilliard/Bradley) and Ethan Moore (Bellefontaine), while Jake Baumgartner and Jack Towell each drove in a run for the visitors.
Dropping to 3-4 on the year was sophomore Riley Reyna (Wellington) who went six innings, allowing three runs on five hits. Wyatt Groves (Marengo/Highland) tossed 1.2 innings of relief, allowing no hits or runs while recording Bluffton's lone strikeout.
Hanover would open up the second game of the afternoon with a one-run triple to right center, putting the home team up 1-1 in the bottom of the first. Bluffton did not trail for long as the Beavers answered in the top of the second with an RBI double from Drew Snipes (Pickerington/North), evening up the game at 1-1.
Following a scoreless third inning, Bluffton took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth thanks to a Jake Baumgartner RBI single, but a wild pitch from the Beavers in the bottom of the inning brought home a run for the Panthers, knotting the score at 2-2. The contest wouldn't be tied for long as Hanover forged a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth after a single to left brought home the go-ahead run. Hanover would add another run off a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh, extending their lead to 4-2.
The Panthers were able to tack on a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth off a double-steal and a sacrifice fly, pushing their lead to 6-2. Bluffton would be unable to stage a comeback in the ninth, despite Kayden Smith (Mogadore/Field) hitting a solo home run as Hanover capped the sweep with its 6-3 vicory.
Seven different Beavers would collect a hit in the contest, with Justin Maurer going 2-for-4 and scoring a run. Freshman Kayden Smith picked up his first career homer in the outing against the Panthers.
Nathan Young (Copley) would take the loss, falling to 0-5 on the mound after going 6.1 innings and allowing four earned runs off five Panther hits while fanning five batters.
Bluffton will be off until Friday, May 2, when it travels to face the Manchester University Spartans in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The Beavers will then close out the three-game series against the Spartans on Sunday, May 4, at noon in their final game of the 2025 campaign.
-BEAVERS-