Lions tame Bluffton baseball with superb pitching
April 13, 2018
By: Colton Steiner, sports information assistant
AMELIA, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball team hit the road to face off against the Mount St. Joseph Lions for a HCAC doubleheader on a beautiful Friday, April 13. The Beavers would walk away with a loss in the first game, 6-2, after struggling to get the bats rolling. The lack of offense continued in game two as a 5-2 MSJ victory would complete the sweep for the Lions. The losses dropped Bluffton to 15-12 overall and 4-6 in conference play.
Bluffton would fall behind early, 5-0, after the Lions scored a pair in the second and three more runs in the third inning. The Beavers fought back in the top of the fourth after a REID MAUS (Hamilton/Badin) base hit to left field scored CHASE LAWNICZAK (Toledo/Whitmer) and JON DOERING (Constantine, Mich.), making the score 5-2. A solo shot by Mount St. Joseph’s ROMAN ROTHWELL gave the home team an insurance run in the 6th. Bluffton was unable to get any offense flowing as the visitors fell to the Lions by a 6-2 margin.
Leading the way for the Beavers was JACOB LATKOFSKI (Temperance, Mich./Ida) who finished 2-of-4 for the game. Reid Maus drove in the only two runs for Bluffton while Jon Doering and Chase Lawniczak each chipped in with a run and a hit.
Starting on the mound for the Beavers was GARRETT O’REILLY (Galena/Orange) who allowed two earned runs off four hits. The freshman hurler walked two batters in his three innings of work. PAUL FREY (Kirby/Riverdale) recorded the only strikeout for Bluffton.
The teams would get right back in the swing of things for game two of the day after a 20-minute respite. Neither team would score in the first two innings, but a squeeze bunt put the home team up 1-0 as they headed into the fourth. The Beavers would even things up in fourth on a run by Jacob Latkofsky but two more scores by the Lions gave them a 3-1 lead. Bluffton made it a 3-2 ballgame in the seventh after a Garrett O’Reilly RBI double to left center picked up ADAM DUNCAN (Northwood/Lake). Mount St. Joseph added a run in the seventh and another in the eighth to go ahead 5-2. The visitors were unable to forge a comeback as they would fall to the Lions by that 5-2 final.
The Beavers netted just three hits, compared to nine for the Lions. RYAN GOLDEN (Findlay), Chase Lawniczak and Garrett O’Reilly rapped the only hits for Bluffton in game two.
On the mound for the visiting Beavers was TOMMY SIEMER (Liberty Twp./Lakota East) who tossed 4.1 innings, allowing only one earned run off five hits. Dropping to 0-2 for the season, the sophomore pitcher fanned four batters while walking a pair. DANTE D’ANDREA (Westerville/North) fired five strikeouts in his 3.2 innings of work.
Bluffton will look to avenge these losses on Tuesday, April 17, when they welcome Anderson University to Memorial Field. The first pitch is set for 1:15 p.m. so come out and support your Beavers!
-BEAVERS-