By: Colton Steiner

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The Bluffton Beavers would go head-to-head with the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets in a pair of contests that would go down the wire. It would take a walk-off at bat for the Yellow Jackets to take game one and then a go-ahead run in the final inning for Waynesburg allowed them to take game two. With the pair of losses, the Beavers fall to 1-3 to start the 2026 campaign. 

After two scoreless innings, Bluffton would be the first one to get on the board after Ayden Spriggs (North Lewisburg, Ohio / Triad) smoked a triple down the right field line, scoring Tyler Forest (Harrison, Ohio / LaSalle) and putting the Beavers up front 1-0. The Yellow Jackets would answer in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run triple to right center and a pair of RBI singles, putting them up 5-1. Bluffton would respond in the top of the fifth following a triple from Drew Snipes (Pickerington, Ohio / North) that brought home three runs, along with a dropped ball in the outfield that brought Snipes home, cutting the deficit to 5-4. In the top of the sixth, the Beavers would take a 6-5 lead after Tyler Forest cranked a triple to right, scoring Billy Ramsey (Fairfield, Ohio / Fairfield) and Sam Archambeau (Maumee, Ohio / Maumee/Albion College). Bluffton added another run in the inning after a sacrifice fly from Drew Snipes brough home Tyler Forest and put the Beavers up front 7-5. In the bottom of the inning, Waynesburg would even things after a pair of RBIs maade it 7-7 going into the final inning. After Bluffton was unable to score in the top of the seventh, they would be unable to throw out the game-winning run as they would fall to the Yellow Jackets 8-7 in game one. 

Two Beavers would finish the day with multiple hits as both Tyler Forest and Ayden Spriggs would go 2-for-3 at the plate, with Forest recording three runs in the contest. Drew Snipes would tally a team-high three RBIs, as Sam Archambeau, Billy Ramsey, and Torin Long (Defiance) each would score a run. 

Starting in his first collegiate game, Noah Davis (Cincinnati, Ohio / Norwood) would go 3.2 innings, allowing five runs off six hits, while fanning four batters. Deegan Yutzy (Mogodore, Ohio / Field) would take the loss in the end, starting the season at 0-1 after allowing one run in .1 innings of work. 

There would be no time to dwell on the past as they would go right into game two of the afternoon. Following a pair of scoreless innings, Bluffton would get the first run of the game after Drew Snipes connected on a double to center, scoring Torin Long and putting the Beavers up front 1-0. They wouldn't be done as they would add a second run in the inning after Ayden Spriggs brought home Tyler Forest on a sacrifice fly, making it 2-0. After neither team scored in the fourth, Waynesburg would erupt for four runs in the fifth as Bluffton would trail 4-2 heading into the final two innings. In the bottom of the sixth, the Beavers were able to load the bases and bring home a run after Sam Archambeau draw a four-pitch walk. The Beavers would then tie the game up at 4-4 after Billy Ramsey got hit by a pitch that brought home Isaac Stall (Pandora, Ohio / Pandora-Gilboa). The Yellow Jackets would then smack a go-ahead RBI-double that found the gap in left center as Bluffton found themselves down 5-4. They would then be unable to bring home a run as Waynesburg came out on top 5-4. 

Leading the Beavers at the plate was Drew Snipes and Ayden Spriggs, who each would collect a pair of hits on the day, while also tallying an RBI in the contest. Also recording RBIs in the outing was Sam Archambeau and Billy Ramsey. 

On the hill to start the contest was Jack Hardesty (Akron, Ohio / Hoban), who went 4.2 innings and would allow four runs off just three hits, while striking out four batters and walking four. Picking up the loss and falling to 0-1 to start the season was Grant Caldwell (Pataskala, Ohio / Licking Heights), who would go 1.1 innings and allow one run off one hit to go along with a pair of strikeouts. 

Bluffton will continue their trip in Florida as they get set to go up against St. Vincent at 10:30 p.m. at the Chain O'Lakes Complex on field 4. 

-Beavers-