Baseball | 3/7/2022 8:40:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 TUCSON, Ariz. (March 7, 2022) - The Buena Vista baseball team rallied with four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, including a walk-off hit by Caden Mathewson, to edge No. 10 Aurora University on Monday afternoon at the Kino Sports Complex.  The comeback bid came up a run short in the ninth inning against Emerson College later in the day, as BVU dropped a 10-9 contest for its first loss of the year.

It was a pitcher's duel against the Spartans as freshman Mark Eddie was making his second career start for the Beavers.  It was a scoreless game until the sixth when the Beavers got a sacrifice fly from Joel Garcia to make it 1-0.  Aurora then got on the board in the seventh with a single to right and then a three-base error allowed the runner to come all the way around to even things at 1-1.  The Spartans then pushed across four runs in the eighth to take a 5-1 lead but then the bats came to life for BVU.  Zack Beekmann cut the deficit to 5-3 heading to the ninth when he came through with a clutch 2-run single.

Aurora managed to plate one in the ninth to extend its advantage to 6-3 before the Beavers loaded the bases in their half of the ninth.  The Spartans forced out a runner at home for the first out before Joel Garcia drew a bases loaded walk to make it 6-4.  Sophomore Caden Mathewson then lifted a ball into the gap in left centerfield that dropped and cleared the bases for a walk-off triple and a 7-6 victory.

Freshman Evan Taylor doubled and finished with two hits for BVU while Mathewson's triple was his first hit of the day after drawing two walks.  Zach Pleggenkuhle doubled and scored a pair of runs for BVU which tallied seven hits in the contest.

Eddie was lifted after back-to-back walks in the sixth to finish with 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing four hits, striking out seven and walking four.  Morgan Smith came on in relief and worked the final 3.2 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) and six hits.  He struck out a pair and issued only one walk to earn his first collegiate victory.

In the nightcap, Emerson used a five-run second inning as the Lions built an early 5-1 lead.  The Lions then added a run in the third before Zach Beekmann blasted his first home run of the year in the bottom half to make it 6-2.  The Beavers pushed across a pair of unearned runs in the fourth to fight back within 6-4.  Emerson, responded with four unanswered runs over the course of the sixth and seventh innings to build its largest lead at 10-4.

Freshman Evan Taylor helped keep BVU within striking distance late by connecting on a two-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh for his first career blast. The Beaver bullpen kept Emerson scoreless in the final two frames to give them a chance for a second straight potential walk-off.  BVU nearly did just that, pushing across two runs to make it a 10-8 contest with no outs.  The Beavers later had the bases loaded with nobody down and managed to score a run on a lineout from Jackson Smith to make it 10-9 but also had a runner thrown out trying to advance to third.  Emerson then got a flyout to left to end the game.

Evan Taylor turned in three hits and two RBI to help lead BVU with Oseka adding two hits and three runs scored.  Kyler Corcoran chipped in with a pair of doubles as the Beavers pounded out 12 hits in the contest.  

Mason Gehling (0-1) had a rough start on the mound, allowing six runs and five hits over three innings while walking five.  Brayden Polzien came out of the bullpen and worked the next 2.2 innings, allowing three runs before giving way to Aiden Brock who was charged with the final run in his one-third inning.  Austin Scott worked a pair of scoreless innings before Devon Van Houten came on and struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth.

Buena Vista is now 4-1 overall and will play Bethany Lutheran on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. MST (2:30 p.m. CT).