March 25, 2017
Bluffton, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball scored in just one inning but it was enough to give the Beavers a 3-1 win over Anderson University on Saturday, March 25, and with it the Heartland Conference series victory! Bluffton improved to 9-4 overall and 2-1 in the HCAC following the early-morning wake-up call due to projected rain on Saturday. Anderson fell to 7-9 on the season and 1-2 in the conference.
The visitors went up 1-0 in the top of the first thanks to a Bluffton error and unearned run before Jaylen Von Sossan (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) locked it in and took control of the game. He limited Anderson to two hits over the next six innings. With the Ravens clinging to that 1-0 lead, senior Luke Hickey (Toledo/Whitmer) laced an RBI double down the left field line. Clayton Siders (Delaware/Worthington Christian) worked a walk and Austin Prosser (Galion) delivered the biggest hit of the afternoon, a two-run double to center for a 3-1 lead and what would become the game-winning RBI!
Von Sossan recorded the first two outs in the eighth, setting the stage for fellow senior Taylor Gambrell (Bowling Green) who allowed a single before retiring the final four batters to nail down the series victory.
Hickey went 3-of-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Prosser was clutch with two RBI. Von Sossan was sensational, going 7.1 strong innings for his first victory of the season. He fanned five and issued one walk while allowing just one unearned run on four hits. His ERA dipped to 2.16 for the season with 18 strikeouts.
Bluffton is back in action Tuesday, March 28, when the Beavers travel to Earlham College to face the HCAC-favorite Quakers. The first pitch is slated for 4:15 p.m.
-BEAVERS-
