Bluffton University spring sports are underway. Here’s a summary of last week’s action, listed by sport.

Track

The Bluffton University track team made the trek to Indiana Wesleyan University to compete in the Polar Bear Invitational on Sat, March 23 and saw many great performances!

The meet was highlighted once again by junior vaulter Tori Bowen (Wapakoneta/Elida) who was victorious in the pole vault with a mark of 3.60 meters (11 feet, 9.75 inches), a mark that places her in the 11th spot on the Division III National List early in the outdoor campaign.

Also putting her name on the top 50 in the country was sophomore thrower Stephanie Fox (Pickerington/Central), who's shot put toss of 11.42 meters (37 feet, 5.75 inches) put her 47th in the country, good enough for ninth in a field of several Division II and NAIA athletes.

On the track, the distance crew continued with their solid performances. Sophomore Bailie Barrington (Waynesfield/Waynesfield-Goshen) led the way with a second place mark in the 1500 with a time of 4:59.46. Junior Alexis Cash (Gaines, Mich./Lake Fenton) finished close behind in fourth with a mark of 5:05.18. Both times were good enough to qualify the pair for the HCAC Championships, as well as the Div. III All-Ohio Championships.

Senior Keturah Warlick (East Point, Mich./Clintondale) continued her comeback from injury in the 100-meter dash, running a time of 13.35 seconds, good enough for a sixth-place finish and an automatic qualifier into the All-Ohio Championships.

On the men's side, junior John Jones (Cincinnati/Walnut Hills) led the field events, as he placed ninth in the hammer with a throw of 44.83 meters (147 feet, 1 inch), good enough for an automatic qualifier into the HCAC and All-Ohio Championships.

On the track, freshman Brandon James (Waynesfield/Waynesfield-Goshen) was the highlight, as he qualified for the HCAC and All-Ohio meets in both the 110 and 400 meter hurdles. In the 400, James placed fourth with a time of 58.48 seconds, while he was 10th in the 110 with a time of 16.56 seconds.

The Beavers placed a trio of freshman sprinters in the top half of a field of over 50 runners in the 100-meter dash, led by Daniel Williams (Lansing, Mich./Waverly) in 15th, followed by Dalton Taynor (Troy/Miami East) in 23rd and Christian Parker in 28th place.

On the distance side, junior Connor Gulick (St. Louisville/Utica) led the charge with a 10th place mark in the 1500 with a time of 4:12.47. Gulick added that race to his list of HCAC qualifiers after doing so in the 3000 meter steeple chase last week.

The Beavers are set to return to action on Saturday, March 30, when they travel to Otterbein University for the April Fools Invitational. Field events are set to begin at 10 a.m. with running events set for 10:30 a.m.

Baseball

The Bluffton University baseball team knocked off Goshen 4-1 on Sunday, March 24. Bluffton improved to 8-9 on the season, while Goshen slipped to 8-16 overall.

Junior Alex Lemanski (Miamisburg) would get things started in the top half of the third when he laced a two-out single for the Beavers. A Jeff Strayer (Columbus/Thomas Worthington) base knock moved Lemanskiall the way to third base. A pair of walks followed, including a bases loaded free pass to senior Colin Gregory (Fremont/Clyde), allowing Bluffton to go up 1-0 after three innings of play.

Goshen would get that run back in the bottom of the sixth when a Maple Leaf homer to left field knotted the game at 1-1. After two more innings of scoreless play from both teams, the Beavers exploded for three runs in the top of the eighth. Reid Ruhl (Hamilton) and Adam Duncan (Northwood/Lake) sandwiched RBI singles arond a wild pitch the scored Gregory, sending the Beavers back to Ohio with a 4-1 victory.

Strayer went 2-of-4 on the day to pace the Beaver offense. Senior Brantley Curnutte (Hilliard/Hilliard Davidson) worked five shutout innings in his first significant action in a year. Curnutte fanned five and allowed three hits without just one walk. Freshman Zane Martin (Ottoville) capped off his first collegiate victory with three innings of scoreless ball. He struck out three and allowed just two hits.

Bluffton will be back in action on Tuesday, March 26, when they play host to Capital University in a non-conference matchup at Memorial Field. The first pitch is slated for 4:15 p.m.

Men’s golf

The Bluffton University men's golf team shaved eight strokes off its day one score when the Beavers finished up the MSJ Spring Invitational on Sunday, March 24. Bluffton finished with a 348 after shooting 355 on Saturday. 

Leading the way was freshman Spencer Daniels (Ashland) who fired a Bluffton-best 82 on Sunday. Nick Offenburger (Lexington) used his 86 on Sunday to equal Daniels for team-low honors over the weekend with identical 174's. Sophomore Anthony Mungia (North Baltimore) continued his hot play to start the season with an 87, giving him a final score of 176. Takoda Pratt (Shelby) also broke 90 while shooting a 183 for the tournament. Carter Mumbower (Newport, MI/Airport) and Michael Fimiani (Willoughby) rounded out the opening spring weekend with 91 and 94, respectively.

Bluffton returns to action on Saturday, March 30, when the Beavers travel to Battlefield Golf Course in Richmond, Ky.

Softball

The Bluffton University softball team split a doubleheader with Alma College on Sunday, March 24, as they took the first game by the score of 10-9 in a thriller, but dropped game two, 9-1, in six innings. The Beavers are now 4-12 overall on the year, while Alma stands at 10-6.

In the top of the first inning in game one, Bluffton got the bats cranking quickly! After a Sydney Bowen (Convoy/Crestview) single, Caylin Morstadt (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) homered for a quick 2-0 lead. Two outs later, the Beavers did even more damage as Bluffton used a combination of hits and Alma errors to break it open. Courtney Jasinski (Englewood/ Northmont), Casey Clark (Lima/Central Catholic) and Riley Langstaff (Findlay) all scored in the inning, extending the lead to 5-0 before the Scots could step to the plate.

The Beavers forced Alma to switch pitchers in the top of the second as they kept the heat on. Morstadt and Megan Hill (Arcadia) laced back-to-back singles. Jasinski's base knock picked up Morstadt from third base. Alma would not stay scoreless for long as the Scots hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the second to halve the deficit at 6-3 after two innings.

After a scoreless third inning, Alma scored one more in the bottom of the fourth to make it 6-4. An inning later Alma put together four hits and three runs to take a 7-6 lead over the Beavers.

After struggling through the middle innings, Bluffton picked up where it left off at the beginning of the game. Jasinski scored the first run of the inning to tie it up at 7-7. Molly Bollinger (Lima/Shawnee) singled with two outs, scoring Clark for an 8-7 lead. Fellow senior Kelsey Reeder (Galion/Northmor) doubled home Bollinger and Langstaff, giving Bluffton a 10-7 spread.

The Beavers made it very interesting in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Alma scored twice and had the bases loaded down just one run. The Beavers quelled the rally with a double play to end the game with a 10-9 victory.

Jasinski went 4-of-5 with two runs and an RBI. Bollinger was 2-for-3 with two RBI. She also started for the Beavers, going 4.1 innings and giving up seven runs on nine hits. Bowen and Morstadt had two hits apiece. Alexis Montemarano (Brook Park/Berea-Midpark) got the win for the Beavers, her second in as many games, and she now has a record of 2-2.

With the bases full in the first inning of game two, Jasinski stepped up to the plate and delivered an RBI single that picked up Reeder from third base, giving the Beavers an early 1-0 advantage.

The game remained 1-0 through the top of the fifth inning before the table turned in the home half of the frame. The Beavers gave up eight runs in the inning on eight hits. One more Alma run in the bottom of the sixth was all she wrote as the Beavers dropped a 9-1 decision in six innings.

Jasinski got the start in the circle, pitching 4.1 innings. She gave up five runs on nine hits. Montemarano came on during the nightmare fifth inning and tossed the final 1.1 for the Beavers, giving up four runs on four hits.

Bluffton will be back in action on Wednesday, March 27, when they host Olivet in a non-conference doubleheader that kicks off at 3 p.m.