STORM LAKE, Iowa (April 1, 2021) - The Buena Vista University baseball team let a late lead slip away in the opener of Thursday's American Rivers Conference doubleheader against preseason favorite Coe College before the Kohawks completed the sweep with a 12-7 victory in game two.
The Beavers led 4-1 and were cruising along in game one heading into the top of the final inning. Starter
Tyler Tennyson got the leadoff batter to pp out before pinch hitter Jared White blooped a single into right field to get the Kohawk rally started. After a hit batter and a walk loaded the bases with one out, Coe then would take advantage of a pair of fielding errors by the Beavers to score four unearned runs and take a 5-4 lead. BVU was then retired in order in the bottom half to end the game.
Tennyson went the distance on the mound with only two of the runs allowed being earned. He surrendered just five hits and struck out three.
Jordan Mathewson,
Calvin Harris and
Caden Mathewson - the first three hitters in the BVU lineup - combined to go 8-for-12 overall, including a double from
Caden Mathewson. As a team, BVU held a 12-5 advantage in base hits off of starter TJ Johnson, who had allowed only four total runs over 16 innings for the Kohawks entering the contest. Johnson went on to earn the win and improve to 5-0. Austin Devillo came on to pitch the ninth and earn his first save.
Coe jumped on BVU starter
Mason Gehling in the top of the first inning and build a 4-0 lead. BVU got one run back in the second before the teams traded single runs in the third for a 5-2 margin. The Kohawks then broke things open with three runs in the fourth for an 8-2 lead and never looked back.
Parker Truesdell doubled for one of his team-high three hits and also drove in two runs. Tennyson doubled twice and finished 2-for-5 with an RBI with
Tyler Stoltze also recording an RBI double. Harris chipped in with two more hits and also scored twice. Jaden Mathewson belted his second home run of the year.
Gehling (1-2) went four innings and was charged with eight runs (four earned) on seven hits while striking out three and walking three. Four relievers then combined to pitch the final five innings and allow four runs and eight hits.
The Kohawks improve to 13-2 overall (9-1 A-R-C) while the Beavers dip to 8-7 (6-4 A-R-C). The two teams will return to the diamond to play the final two games of the series on Saturday afternoon as BVU looks to salvage a series split. First pitch of game one is set for 1:00 p.m.
