The Buena Vista baseball team began its final homestand of the season on Friday afternoon by taking the first two games of the four-game series by scores of 4-3 and 5-3.

BVU got solid starting pitching in both games, including a complete-game effort by senior Justin Lange in the opener.  Making his final career home start, the south paw scattered seven hits, allowed just two earned runs, while striking out three and walking only one.

Dubuque jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second, but things could have been even worse.  The Spartans had runners at the corners and no one out in the inning and scored the game's first run on an infield hit.  Lange then buckled down after a sacrifice bunt put a pair in scoring position to field a comebacker and hold the runner at third before getting a second ground out to end any further threat.

BVU came back in the bottom half with three runs of its own, including a big two-run double to left center by senior Neil Marshall. 

The Spartans scored an unearned run in the third to get within 3-2 before Michael Zellar got that run back for the Beavers with an RBI single in the bottom half.

Dubuque did plate a run in the sixth, but Lange sat the Spartans down in order in the seveth to improve to 5-1 on the year.

Bennett Mann, along with Zellar and Noah Paper, finished with two hits in the contest to help pace BVU at the plate.

Jacob Hadaway gave the Beavers seven strong innings on the hill in game two, allowing just two runs on seven hits, while striking out eight and walking only two. 

Marshall tripled and scored on a groundout by Wessels to start game two and give BVU a quick 1-0 lead.  The Spartans responded with two in the second before the Beavers tied it up in the bottom half on a ground out by Zellar.

Wessels reached on a fielder's choice in the third and later came in to score the go-ahead run on a wild pitch before Devin Wagenman drilled a key two-run home run to left in the sixth for a 5-2 lead.

Dubuque pushed across a late run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly before Dalton Mason closed the door in order in the ninth for his first save.

Mann had two more hits and scored twice with Wagenman also tallying a pair of base knocks and a run scored.  Marshall also had two hits and sits two doubles shy of matching the program's single-season doubles record of 19 entering his final two home games on Saturday.

Buena Vista improves to 21-7 overall (12-4 IIAC) and is now 11-1 at home.  The team's final two home contests come up on Saturday afternoon when it hosts the Spartans in a doubleheader starting at 1:00pm.  The 11 BVU seniors will be honored between games as part of the Senior Day festivities.