The Buena Vista baseball team returned home on Friday afternoon and saw its current win streak reach seven games, as the Beavers swept past the University of Dubuque by scores of 8-1 and 8-2 to begin the four-game weekend series.  In addition, the victory in game one was also the 300th in BVU head coach Steve Eddie's career.

The Spartans scored first in the opener, plating an unearned run in the fourth when a pick-off throw at third by BVU starter Jon Ringblom was wide of the base.  That broke Ringblom's 13-inning scoreless streak which went back to his start against Central at the beginning of the month.

The lead was short-lived for Dubuque, however, as the Beavers stormed back with five runs in the bottom half on five hits.  Tanner Truesdell led off the inning with a double down the right field line and later scored on a fielder's choice.  Later in the inning, Neil Marshall tripled to left field, scoring two and giving BVU its first lead of the contest.

Brandon Wessels then laced a single past a diving second baseman to plate another before Jeremy Lambert was hit by a pitch to score the fifth run.

That was more than enough for Ringblom, who allowed just one more hit the rest of the way en route to his fifth win of the year and his third straight complete game.  He has yet to allow more than two runs in any start this season and he lowers his ERA during conference play to a staggering 0.67 over 27 innings.

Brandon Wessels, who went 4-for-5, added an RBI single in the fifth to push the lead up to 6-1 before Bryce Wessels singles home a run in the sixth followed by a run-scoring double by Marshall to make it 8-1.

Marshall and Joe Paletta each followed Wessels with two hits with Marshall also driving in three.  Truesdell and Nick Schlecht each scored a pair of runs as BVU out-hit the Spartans, 13-3.

The Beavers kept that momentum going into the nightcap, plating a pair of runs in the first on a two-run single by Lambert to center.

The lead grew to 3-0 in the third when Lambert singled to right field, scoring Joe Paletta who singled to lead off the inning.

Dubuque got on the board in the fourth when a runner scored on a fielder's choice, but BVU got that run back in the bottom half on a pair of defensive miscues by the Spartans.

Schlecht came through with a two-run single to right in the sixth to make it a 6-1 lead before Dubuque answered with a sacrifice fly in the seventh to get within 6-2.  Bryce Wessels then plated two in the eighth with a single to center, making it 8-2.

Scott Harris (5-0) worked a career-high eight innings on the mound for the Beavers before handing things over to Lucas Hadaway, who pitched a perfect ninth.  Harris scattered six hits, struck out seven and walked two.

Lambert went 2-for-3 with three RBI to help lead BVU with Bryce Wessels adding a pair of hits and driving in two.  Brandon Wessels went 1-for-2 with three walks and three runs scored, while Paletta finished with a pair of hits and two runs scored.

The Beavers improve to 25-5 on the year (14-4 IIAC) and will be going after their third straight weekend sweep on Saturday when the same two teams play a doubleheader beginning at 11:00am.  The start time has been pushed up from the original 1:00pm time due to the threat of rain later in the afternoon.

Eddie reaches the 300-win plateau in his 14th season at the helm.