April 2, 2017
BLUFFTON, Ohio - A four-hit complete-game shutout by Jaylen Von Sossan (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) helped the Bluffton University baseball team avoid a sweep at the hands of Manchester University on Sunday, April 2, 2017. Bluffton moved to 10-7 overall and 3-4 in the Heartland Conference, while Manchester upped its mark to 7-12 and 4-4 in the HCAC after the series victory.
The Spartans jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first in game one and added another score, making it 3-0 an inning later. Senior Kevin Every (Zanesville/West Muskingum) took over in the fourth and mowed Manchester down, allowing just one measly hit over the final six frames while giving Bluffton a chance to stay within striking distance. Every fired eight strikeouts and did not allow a free pass.
Colin Gregory (Fremont/Clyde) lifted a sacrifice fly to center in the sixth, picking up senior Austin Prosser (Galion). A Gregory RBI single two innings later made it 3-2 but the Spartans worked around a Parker Reynolds (Avon) two-bagger in the ninth to notch the series victory.
Starter Brantley Curnutte (Hilliard/Davidson) dropped to 1-1 with the loss. He allowed three runs on six hits in three innings of work. Gregory drove in both runs for the home team.
Bluffton pasted a four-spot on the scoreboard in the third inning game of two, giving Von Sossan all he would need and then some. Prosser and Blake Fox (Berne, Ind./South Adams) chipped in with RBI singles before a two-run base knock from Clayton Siders (Delaware/Worthington Christian) made it 4-0.
Hickey scored in the fourth and Reynolds picked up Siders with a run-scoring single in the seventh for the final 6-0 margin.
Siders, Hickey and Prosser all finished with two hits in game two. Hickey scored twice and Siders drove in two runs for the victors
Von Sossan put up his second straight superlative outing, tossing a compete-game four-hit shutout. The senior struck out two and walked two while improving to 2-1 and allowing Coach Grandey to rest his bullpen with a quick turnaround at Earlham slated for 4:15 on Tuesday afternoon.
-BEAVERS-
