March 9, 2017
By: Colton Steiner, sports information assistant
FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Bluffton University baseball team kicked off their Thursday morning against Alvernia College. The Beavers were unable to get anything going offensively as Bluffton dropped to 5-2 on the season after a 9-2 loss to the Crusaders.
Alvernia would strike first to start the game as the home team on the scoreboard went up 1-0 in the first inning. The Crusaders added another run in the bottom of the third off an RBI double. Two more Alvernia runs in the fourth made the score 4-0.
Bluffton finally cracked the scoreboard with a BLAKE FOX (Berne, Ind./South Adams) sacrifice fly that plated CLAYTON SIDERS (Delaware/Worthington Christian), making it 4-1 entering the sixth inning. Alvernia added a run in the sixth and then four more tallies in the seventh to go up 9-1 on the Beavers. Bluffton would score its final run of the game in the eighth inning after RYAN GOLDEN (Findlay) picked up COLIN GREGORY (Fremont/Clyde), who led off the frame with a triple, to make the final score 9-2.
Colin Gregory and Clayton Siders both finished with two hits and scored for the Beavers. TANNER HODGES (Taylor, Mich./John F. Kennedy), AUSTIN PROSSER (Galion) and Ryan Golden chipped in with base knocks.
DYSON BOWMAN (Coshocton) fell to 1-1 on the season following the loss. The senior allowed four runs off four hits and struck out eight batters in the contest.
Bluffton will tackle Moravian at noon on Friday before facing Wheaton at 3 p.m. to close out the trip to Florida.
-BEAVERS-
