Men’s soccer
The Bluffton University men's soccer team battled conference heavyweight Rose-Hulman on a chilly Saturday, March 6, at Salzman Stadium. Kelly Takezo found the back of the net at the 3:50 mark and the Engineers held off Bluffton for a 1-0 victory. The Engineers stayed perfect at 2-0 overall and 2-0 in the Heartland Conference, while Bluffton fell to 0-2 and 0-2 in the HCAC with its second straight 1-0 heartbreaker.
Jacob Kiger led the Beavers with three shots, including two on frame. Sophomore net-minder Tanner Newport (Hamilton, Va./Loudoun Valley) finished with five saves for the home team.
Although RHIT now holds a perfect 15-0 mark in the all-time series, it marked just the 4th one-goal decision for Bluffton against the Engineers.
Bluffton will travel south down Interstate 75 for a Wednesday night contest at Mount St. Joseph. Kickoff in Cincinnati is slated for 3:30 p.m. on March 10
Baseball
The Bluffton University baseball team was back in action for the first time since their 2020 spring trip in Florida. Transylvania spoiled Bluffton's return to the diamond with a 7-0 shutout in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, March 6, 2021. Game two was halted in the 10th inning with the score knotted at 6-6. It is scheduled to resume when the Beavers face off against Transy again on Saturday, April 10.
Bluffton fell behind 1-0 in the second inning and Transylvania added three more runs an inning later as the Pioneers led 4-0 after three frames. Two Transy tallies in the seventh and another in the ninth made the final score 7-0.
Reid Ruhl (Hamilton) finished with two of Bluffton's four hits. Fellow senior Garrett O'Reilly (Galena/Orange) took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits in five innings of work. He fanned three and walked just one. Sophomore Jacob Boelkens (Millbury/Lake) also struck out three in just two innings on the bump.
Seniors Lenny Winiarski (Cincinnati/LaSalle) and Adam Duncan (Northwood/Lake) both had two hits for the Beavers when game two was halted for darkness. Winiarski scored twice for the Beavers who are knotted at 6-6 heading to the 10th inning when the game resumes.
Bluffton will head back down Interstate 75 on Sunday, March 7, when the Beavers travel to Mount St. Joseph for a doubleheader with the Lions. Game one is slated for 1 p.m. at Prasco Park (Legacy Field).
