Ravens Score 11 in Win, Split with Bluffton

The Anderson University Baseball team (14-12, 6-3 HCAC) split in a doubleheader with Bluffton University (11-15, 4-5) on Wednesday afternoon at Don Brandon Field.

Anderson (14-12, 6-3) took Game 1 11-4. The Ravens fell to Bluffton (12-15, 5-5) in Game 2 6-0.

Game 1: Anderson 11, Bluffton 4

Bluffton started the scoring with a solo homerun from Jake Baumgartner in the first inning.

After that both teams were held scoreless until the fourth inning. With one out in the inning, Freshman Jake Stank reached after being hit by a pitch. The next batter was T.J. Price, who gave the Ravens the lead with a two-run homerun.

A big three run top of the fifth from the Beavers helped them regain the lead 4-2, but the Ravens had a big bottom half of the inning to answer back. Justin Reed started the inning off with a lead-off single. Tyler Smitherman then singled to put runners on first and second. Justin Reed would advance to third on a flyout to put runners on the corners. The next batter, Stank, hit a sacrifice fly out to left that would score Justin Reed and advance Smitherman to second on the throw. Price added another RBI to his total with a single that scored Smitherman and the next batter, Brady Reed would hit an RBI double, scoring Price to give the Ravens a 5-4 lead after five innings.

To start the sixth inning the Ravens got a base runner by way of a Connor Gordon hit by a pitch. A Justin Reed one-out single would put runners on first and second before a Smitherman walk to load the bases. Jed Downham also walked which scored Gordon on the play. A pitching change for the Beavers wasn't enough to stop the Ravens' big inning. Stank delivered a bases-clearing double to give the Ravens three more runs and end the inning up 9-4.

The Ravens were able to score two more runs in the eighth inning off of a passed ball that scored Downham and a Brady Reed single, which scored T.J. Price to stretch the lead to 11-4. 

Chandler Wise earned the win for the Ravens, going five complete innings, giving up just four runs and five hits. 

Freshman Logan Nickel earned his third save of the year. He went four innings, allowing no hits, no runs, one walk and he sat down six batters on strikeouts. 

Inside the Box Score

• T.J. Price - 3-3, 3 Runs, 3 RBI's, HR
• Tyler Smitherman - 1-3, 2 Runs
• Jake Stank - 1-3, 1 Run, 4 RBI's, Double
• Justin Reed - 2-5, 2 Runs
• Brady Reed - 2-5, 2 RBI's, Double 
• Chandler Wise - 5.0 IP, 4 R, 1 ER, 4 K's
• Logan Nickel - 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 6 K's

Game 2: Bluffton 6, Anderson 0

Anderson was unable to complete the sweep against Bluffton, losing 6-0. The Ravens got hits from Grahm Reedy, Downham and Gordon. 

Inside the Box Score 

• Grahm Reedy - 2-3, 2 Doubles, 1 BB
• Jed Downham - 1-4
• Connor Gordon - 1-3
• Evan Doan - 5.0, 3 H, 3 ER, 5 K's 
• Benny Thompson - 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER
• Jose Olivo - 2.1, 2 H, 1 ER
• Tristen Brooks - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 K

Up Next

The Ravens battle Defiance College (7-18, 2-8) in an HCAC doubleheader on Saturday at 12 p.m. in Defiance, Ohio.