Buena Vista scored nine times in the fourth inning of Monday afternoon's home opener against Nebraska Wesleyan en route to a 13-3 (7 inn.) before scoring on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth in game two for a thrilling 2-1 walk-off victory.

The Prairie Wolves got on the board first with a solo home run in the top of the second inning for a 1-0 lead.  That advantage was shortlived as BVU responded with three runs in the bottom half.  After Peyton Renning led off the inning with a single and then stole second, Coleman Roberts drove him in with an RBI single to right.  Porter Sartor added a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 before Bryce Rheault chipped in with an RBI single an a 3-1 cushion.

Nebraska Wesleyan clawed back to tie things at 3-3 in the fourth but it was all Beavers from there.  Joe Rock was hit by a pitch to start the inning before coming around to score two batters later on Nick Henrichs' two-run triple.  Renning and Roberts later drew consecutive bases loaded walks to score two more while Rock again came up later in the frame with a two-run single. BVU sent 15 batters to the plate in the inning, including six walks and one hit batter.

Rheault turned in another RBI single in the sixth to make it a 10-run advantage as Clayton Christian worked around a one-out hit-by-pitch in the seventh to close things out.  He pitched the final two frames and did not allow a hit while striking out one.  Tate Holmes got the start and worked through five innings, scattering seven hits and overcoming five walks with four strikeouts.

Rheault was 3-for-4 with three RBI and one run scored while Renning and Rock added two hits and combined to score five runs.

It was a pitcher's duel for most of game two with BVU clinging to a 1-0 lead until the Prairie Wolves tied it with a run in the seventh.  After the first two batters were retired in the third, Parker Truesdell and Rheault recorded consecutive singles before Renning laced a line drive that appeared headed for the second baseman but hit the back foot of the field umpire and scored Truesdell from third.

A bases loaded walk in the seventh pulled NWU even before Henrichs came on in relief to get a big ground ball to Sartor and third.  He came up firing to home to get the second out before Tyler Stoltze fired it down to first two complete the inning-ending double play.

It was another big two-out rally in the ninth that aided BVU.  After Sartor nearly ended things but his fly ball was caught two steps in front of the fence in left center, Stoltze got the surge started with a single through the right side.  Truesdell followed with a single to center and then it was two straight wild pitches that scored Stoltze from third and send the dugout into a dog pile behind home plate.

Truesdell was 3-for-3 with a run scored as Roberts and Rock each added two hits.  Henrichs improves to 3-0 on the year after pitching the final 2.2 innings, allowing just one hit, and working around three walks.  Eric LaRue pitched a career-high 6.1 innings, allowed six hits, and struck out six.

Buena Vista improves to 10-11 on the year (6-2 IIAC) and is scheduled to host the University of Dubuque for a three-game weekend series starting on Friday night, April 6, with a nine-inning game at 6:00pm.