By: Colton Steiner

BLUFFTON, Ohio - With storms on the way, the Bluffton Beavers pushed up their double-header against the Mount St. Joseph Lions by a day and would be gifted perfect playing conditions at Memorial Field. After a close matchup in game one where the Lions would come out with a 3-2 win, the two teams would battle again in game two, but one inning made all the difference as the visitors would prevail in a final score of 14-6. After the two losses, Bluffton drops to a record of 8-22 overall and fall to 2-13 in the HCAC, while Franklin improves to 12-17 and move to 7-8 in conference play. 

The Beavers would get on the board first after two scoreless innings to start game one, after an RBI single from Drew Snipes (Pickerington, Ohio / North) brought home Zane Sarcheck (Sunbury, Ohio / Big Walnut), putting Bluffton up 1-0 at the end of the third. Following a scoreless fourth, the Beavers would add a run in the fifth after a sacrifice bunt from Liam George (Hilliard, Ohio / Hilliard Bradley) scored Sam Archambeau (Maumee), extending their lead to 2-0. In the top of the sixth a two run double from the Lions evened up the game at two a piece, followed by an RBI single that allowed MSJ to jump ahead 3-2. That would be all she wrote as Bluffton would be unable to score in the final four innings as the Lions would come away with a 3-2 victory over the Beavers. 

Despite a comination of five runs in the ballgame, Mount St. Joseph would outhit Bluffton 13-5, with the Beavers also coughing up a pair of errors in the field. Zane Sarcheck would finish game one going 1-for-2 at the plate with a run, as Drew Snipes colled one hit and one RBI in four at bats. 

Taking the loss on the mound was Riley Reyna (Wellington), who pitched the first 5.2 innings, allowing three earned runs off 10 hits, fanning six batters in the process. William Nissen (Genoa) would toss 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits, while Nathan Waggoner (Brookville) would pitch 1 inning, striking out two and giving up just one hit. 

In the first inning of game two, after the Lions would score a pair of runs to start the game, Bluffton would even up the contest after a Wes Toth  (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston) two-run single to left made it a 2-2 contest. MSJ would go up in the third with an RBI single, but a wild pitch that scored Ayden Spriggs (North Lewisburg, Ohio / Triad) in the bottom of the frame allowed the Beavers to tie the game, with them then taking a 4-3 lead after a sacrifice bunt from Sam Archambeau scored Brandon North (Hilliard, Ohio / Bradley). The one run lead would be short lived as the visitors would respond with two runs in the top of the fourth to jump ahead 6-4. Following a scoreless fifth inning, Bluffton would take advantage of another wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth, with Drew Snipes crossing home plate to cut the deficit to one. They would then add a tying run off a sacrifice fly from Wes Toth, evening up the game at 6-6 going into the seventh. The offense for the Lions would erupt for eight runs, as the Beavers would find themselves on the wrong side of a 14-6 contest. Down eight, the deficit would be too much for the home team to overcome as they would fall in a finals core of 14-6 in the final game of a double-header. 

Despite the final score, the bats were hot for both teams, with the Lions narrowly outhitting Bluffton 15-12. It was a solid day for Wes Toth, batting in a team-high three runs, finishing 1-for-2 at the plate. Ayden Spriggs would tally three runs in the outing, going 2-for-3, while Drew Snipes, Jake McCoy (Milford), and Brandon North would all finish the game with a two hits a piece.

Starting the day on the mound was freshman Noah Davis (Cincinnati, Ohio / Norwood), who tossed 3.2 innings and gave up six runs and seven hits, while fanning three batters. Picking up the loss was AJ Remick (Orient, Ohio / Grove City), falling to 0-2 on the season after allowing four runs off three hits. Jayce Emmitt (Columbus, Ind. / Columbus North) would toss a solid 2.1 innings of relief, allowing zero runs off just two hits. 

The Beavers will travel to Rose-Hulman on Sunday, Apr. 19, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. before cominb back home to face off against Otterbein in a single game on Tuesday, Apr. 21 at 4:15 p.m.

-Beavers-