By Brandy Bidlack, sports information assistant

Muskingum stats: http://www.bluffton.edu/sports/baseball/2012/03-09-b1.htm
I John Carroll stats: http://www.bluffton.edu/sports/baseball/2012/03-09-b2.htm

The Bluffton University baseball team picked up its third win of the year when it defeated Muskingum 5-1 on Friday, March 9. A 13-8 setback at the hands of John-Carroll gave the Beavers (3-7) a split during their final day of action in the Snowbird Classic.

Tied at one in the bottom of the third inning, Tim Webb (Delaware/Worthington Christian) found a gap in right field for a base hit. With runners in scoring position, a Kyle Niermann (Napoleon) single gave Bluffton the 4-2 advantage. Another run in the bottom of the fifth gave the Beavers a 5-1 victory over Coach Grandey's alma mater.

Niermann led the offense with two runs and three hits in five plate appearances. Miles Richardson (Granville/Newark Catholic) picked up his second win of the 2012 campaign. He fanned five in his complete-game five-hitter on the mound.

In the second contest for the Beavers, senior Tyler Stephenson's (Springfield/Northwestern) double moved Tyler Wright (Troy) to third and sent Richardson home. After Wright scored, Nick Broyles (Toledo/Whitmer) drove in Stephenson as Bluffton picked up three runs in the first frame.

Despite the success of the top half of the inning, the John-Carroll offense proved too much for the Beavers as they scored six in the first, two in the second and four in the fifth en route to a 13-8 win over the Beavers. Bluffton rallied with four runs in the seventh, but the visitors on the scoreboard went three up and three down in the eighth and ninth.

Broyles finished 3-of-5 and drove in three runs. He moved into sole possession of the all-time mark with two thefts for 42 career stolen bases. Both Stephenson and Richardson went 2-for-5 at the plate in the second game.

Ryan Leugers (Botkins) fell to 1-1 with the loss against the Blue Streaks. Four other Bluffton pitchers made appearances on the mound, including Kelly Barnes (Toledo/Christian) and Ben Roeschley (Graymont, Ill/Flanagan) who fanned five and three batters, respectively.

The Bluffton University baseball team will be back in action on Wednesday, March 14, when the Beavers travel to Oberlin College. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.