By Brandy Bidlack, sports information assistant
The Bluffton University baseball team won a nail-biter after tying the game with two runs in the bottom of the ninth, going on to defeat conference foe Earlham College 7-6 in 12 innings. With their first conference win of the season, the Beavers improved to 1-6 in the HCAC and 9-13 overall. The Quakers fell to 8-12 on the season with a conference record of 1-6.
The home team added numbers to the scoreboard in the bottom of the third as freshman Tim Webb (Delaware/Worthington Christian) drove in a pair with his single. Another base hit advanced runners to second and third. Josh Mendoza (Gibsonburg/Fremont Ross) crossed the dish on a fielder's choice as the Beavers took a 3-0 lead to the top of the fourth.
Following a two-run fifth by the Quakers, freshman Airic Steagall (Hillsboro) singled and advanced to second on a balk. An Anthony Cianci (Ravenna/Southeast) base hit put Bluffton on opposite corners of the diamond. A sacrifice fly allowed Steagall to cross the plate, giving the Beavers a 4-2 lead.
Down by two runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Beavers sparked an offensive rally to tie the game. Tad Margolies (Toledo/Southview) knocked in a run in for the home team on his single to right field. Freshman Tyler Wright (Troy) smashed a double to send pinch runner Kevin Martin (Bryan) home and the game into extra innings.
In the bottom of the 12th, junior Nick Broyles (Toledo/Whitmer) doubled and crossed the plate thanks to a Tyler Stephenson (Springfield/Northwestern) base knock as the Beavers won their first conference contest of the season against Earlham. Miles Richardson (Granville/Newark Catholic) struck out six batters while giving up four walks and four hits in eight superb innings. Ben Roeschley (Graymont, Ill./Flanagan) fanned three batters in three innings while senior Adrian Fritch (Edon) generated two K's in the final frame.
Webb and Steagall led the team with four and three hits, respectively, while Webb tallied two RBI. Wright, Stephenson, Kyle Trainer (Mechanicsburg), and Kyle Niermann (Napoleon) produced two hits while Broyles was the only Beaver to cross home plate twice for the victors.
Bluffton will host conference rival Rose-Hulman for a weekend HCAC series, starting with a nine-inning game on Friday, April 8, at Memorial Field. The contest between the Beavers and the Engineers is slated for 4 p.m.
