April 11, 2017
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball team struggled to generate any offense in a 4-1 loss to rival Defiance College on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. Bluffton fell to 11-11 overall and 4-8 in the Heartland Conference, while the Jackets improved to 8-17 and 5-7 in the HCAC.
Defiance went up 1-0 in the top of the third thanks to a pair of singles followed by a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly. A fielder's choice to shortstop plated Reid Maus (Hamilton/Badin) in the home half, knotting the score at 1-1 heading to the fourth.
Senior flame thrower Kevin Every (Zanesville/West Muskingum) continued to deal, allowing only one base runner over the next three innings. Back-to-back two out hits in the 7th put Defiance up 2-1 before a two-run eighth pushed the Yellow Jacket edge to 4-1.
The Beavers left two stranded in the bottom of the eighth and then went down in order in the ninth as Defiance took the HCAC series opener 4-1 on a comfortable Tuesday afternoon at Memorial Field.
Kevin Every tossed seven innings, allowing just two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and a walk. Twin brother Austin Every (Zanesville/West Muskingum) fanned two in a shutout ninth inning.
Freshman Adam Duncan (Northwood/Lake) went 2-of-2 for the Beavers and Reid Maus scored Bluffton's lone run.
Bluffton makes the long trip to Terre Haute, Ind. for a three-game set with Rose-Hulman this weekend. The first contest is slated for 6 p.m. on Friday, April 14.
-BEAVERS-
