Anderson Splits in HCAC Tournament to Close Season

The Anderson University baseball team split in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament on Friday at Proud Park in Lexington, Ky. to close the season.

Anderson (23-19) posted a 7-3 victory against second-seeded Franklin College (25-14) to start the day. Bluffton University (20-23) then earned an 8-5 win against the Ravens. Anderson, originally a No. 5 seed, was reseeded to a No. 4 seed for the double-elimination round of the HCAC Tournament. Bluffton, originally a No. 8 seed, was reseeded to a No. 5 seed for the double-elimination round of the conference tournament.

"I am so proud of our team this entire season," Coach Mathew Bair said. "We battled through a lot of adversity to get where we ultimately finished [on Friday]. There was never a single moment of quit in them, and the way they embrace each other through the good times and the challenging times is fun and encouraging to watch."

GAME 1: ANDERSON 7, FRANKLIN 3

During the top of the second inning, Grahm Reedy (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) put the Ravens on the board after scoring off a wild pitch. M.J. Furnish (Fisher, Ind./Heritage Christian) followed up by singling in a run.

Franklin trimmed its deficit in half during the third when Tysen Lipscomb produced a run-scoring ground-rule double.

Branton Sanders (Whiteland, Ind./Whiteland) cranked a solo home run to lead off the fifth. T.J. Price (Anderson, Ind./Daleville) also scored off a wild pitch in the same inning to give Anderson a 4-1 lead.

Quenton Wellington cracked an RBI single in the sixth for the Grizzlies.

Franklin cut the lead to one in the seventh when Logan Demkovich smashed a solo jack,

Anderson added some insurance in the eighth to take a 6-3 lead. Justin Reed (Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville) singled in a run and Rene Casas Jr. (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights) brought home Bennie Day (Charlestown, Ind./Jeffersonville) on an RBI groundout.

Furnish ripped a run-scoring double for the Ravens on the ninth.

Everyone who came to the plate for the Ravens provided a hit against the Grizzlies. Furnish went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Reed finished 2-for-5 with a double. Sanders blasted a solo homer. Tyler Burton (Knightstown, Ind./Knightstown) recorded a double. Casas Jr, Day, Price, Reedy and Jonathan Willoughby (Speedway, Ind./Speedway) rounded out Anderson's 12 hits with singles.

Wellington went 2-for-5 for the Grizzlies. Demkovich contributed a solo homer. Colby Reed and Jake Bryant added doubles. The Grizzlies finished with nine hits.

Walker Stull (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights) (5-2) put together the win. He struck out seven batters, issued five walks and allowed two runs on six hits in six innings. Kennedy Parker (McCordsville, Ind./Mount Vernon) picked up his first save of the season. He fanned two batters, yielded zero walks and gave up one run on three hits in three innings.

Nick McClanahan (6-1) was hit with the loss. He punched out four batters, issued two walks and scattered four runs (one earned) on six hits in four and two-thirds innings. Alex Reinoehl struck out three batters, yielded zero walks and conceded three runs (one earned) on six hits in four and one-third innings.

GAME 2: BLUFFTON 8, ANDERSON 5

The Ravens jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Reed singled in a run, Casa Jr. belted an RBI double and Price provided a run-scoring single.

In the bottom half of the inning, Bluffton responded by pouring in seven runs to take a 7-3 lead. Jake Baumgartner reached on an error and drove in Jaxon Rogan. Jack Towell drew a bases-loaded hit by pitch and Adam Duncan drew a bases-loaded walk. Brandon Wilson drove in Baumgartner on a groundout. Reid Ruhl drew a bases-loaded hit by pitch and Rogan ripped a two-run single.

In the seventh, Nick Diana brought in Towell on a sacrifice bunt.

During the eighth, Furnish and Dav each produced RBI singles.

For the second time of the day, Anderson received a hit from each Raven who came to the plate. Casas Jr. went 3-for-5 with an RBI double. Sanders finished 2-for-5 with a double. Burton and Day each went 2-for-4 while Price finished 2-for-5. Reedy produced a double. Furnish, Reed and Willoughby rounded out Anderson's 15 hits with singles.

Jacob Latkofsky went 2-for-4 for the Beavers. Parker Reynolds, Wilson and Rogan rounded out Bluffton's five hits with singles. Towell reached bases four times, drawing a walk and three hit by pitches. Baumgartner drew three walks while Reynolds and Rogan drew two walks apiece.

Garrett O'Reilly (4-5) captured the win. He fanned five batters, issued zero walks and scattered five runs on 12 hits in seven and one-third innings. Eddie Budinski recorded his first save of the season. He punched out three batters, yielded zero walks and gave up three hits in one and two-thirds scoreless innings.

Jose Olivo (Knightstown, Ind./Knightstown) (1-3) was tagged with the loss. He walked four batters and surrendered six runs (two earned) in one-third of an inning. Evan Doan (Frankton, Ind./Frankton) issued zero walks and gave up one run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning. Cole Whitlock (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute South) fanned three batters, yielded three walks and conceded one run on three hits in five and one-third innings. Tyler Smitherman (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) walked two batters and allowed zero runs on zero hits in two-thirds of an inning. Clayton White (Greenfield, Ind./Eastern Hancock) walked each of the three batters he faced. Parker faced two batters and forced a double play and a foul out.

Be sure to stay tuned for any updates on Anderson's 2022 season!

"Make no mistake, 'The best is yet to come.'"