Baseball loses two to Bluffton

The Defiance baseball team was defeated by Bluffton in both games of a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon.

The Basics

• Records: Defiance (7-23, 2-12), Bluffton (15-18, 8-6)
• Location: Memorial Field - Bluffton, Ohio

Game 1

Inside The Numbers

• Junior Austin Horning drove in both Defiance runs.
• Horning, Gunner Gregg, Hunter Bostater, Trent Murdock, and Dylan King each had a hit.
• Freshman Sam Thombs struck out eighth over 5.2 innings but took the loss.
• Senior Tyler Hines threw the final 2.1 innings for Defiance and retired all seven batters he faced with three strikeouts.
• Garrett O'Reilly, Nathaniel DeWeese, and Joe Fields each had two hits for Bluffton.
• Jacob Boelkens earned the win for the Beavers while Carson Curnutte picked up the save.

The Difference

• In the top of the first, senior Nate Kaffenbarger reached on a throwing error with two outs to keep the inning alive. Bostater and Murdock hit back-to-back singles to load the bases for Horning who then knocked in two runs with a single.
• Bluffton tied the game with two runs off three hits and a Defiance error in the bottom of the second.
• The game remained tied until the bottom of the sixth when O'Reilly gave the Beavers the lead with an RBI single.
• Curnutte struck out two in the top of the ninth to close out a 3-2 win by the Beavers.
• Bluffton outhit Defiance 9-5.

Game 2

Inside The Numbers

• Senior Lucas Thomeier, Gregg, Kaffenbarger, and Murdock each had two hits.
• Senior Kendall Duval made his first career start and took the loss.
• Senior Cohen Nies made his first relief appearance of the season and struck out five over three innings of work.
• Kenny Schneider went 4-4 with a double and a triple to lead Bluffton.
• Jake Baumgartner had three hits for the Beavers.
• Andrew Collinsworth earned the win for Bluffton.

The Difference

• Defiance again got off to a quick start thanks to RBI singles from Bostater and Horning in the top of the first.
• The Beavers responded with three runs in the bottom of the first.
• Gregg hit into a fielder's choice to drive in a run and tie the game in the top of the second.
• Bluffton broke the tie with two runs in the fifth and added runs in the sixth and seventh to take a 7-3 lead.
• Hild drove in a run with a sac fly in the eighth to make it 8-4 before the Beavers added another run in the bottom half of the inning.

Up Next

• The Yellow Jackets will host Hanover on Saturday, April 30 for an HCAC doubleheader. The Yellow Jackets will celebrate Senior Day prior to the first game.