TOPEKA, Kan. (Feb. 24, 2024) - The Buena Vista baseball team faced off with Bethel University in a doubleheader on Saturday for the first time since being knocked out of last year's NCAA Regional Tournament by the Royals, and the Beavers avenged those two losses by recording a sweep at the Bettis Family Sports Complex with 11-10 and 18-10 victories, respectively.

Bethel used an early four-run third inning during the opener to build a 6-0 lead going to the bottom of the fifth. That's when the Beavers came to life by batting around in the frame and eventually scoring nine runs on five hits. The big blow in the frame was a two-out grand slam off the bat of fifth-year Grant Oseka to give BVU the 9-6 advantage.

The Royals chipped away at that lead by plating a run in the sixth and adding two more in the seventh to pull even at 9-9. The Beavers pulled back in front in the bottom of the seventh after an RBI ground out from Oseka before Bethel got that run back in the eighth to tie the game again at 10-10. Fifth-year Calvin Harris put the Beavers back in front in the eighth with an RBI groundout off a drawn in infield.

Bethel threatened in the ninth with two outs by drawing a walk and hit by pitch to put the go-ahead runner on base. Harris came up big, defensively, as the next batter laced a single to right, but he came up firing and one-hopped catcher Evan Taylor who was able to place the tag on the potential game-tying runner who came sliding into home for the final out.

Beekmann was 3-for-3 with a double, walk and three RBI for Buena Vista in the contest while Drew Taylor and Joel Garcia each went 2-for-4. Freshman Brandon Jenkins continued the torrid start to his collegiate career by adding a big two-run double to get the scoring started for BVU in the fifth.

Freshman Ean McDaniel picked up his first career win in relief of starter Morgan Smith. He pitched 2.1 innings and allowed three runs and five hits while striking out three. Sophomore Logan Lape-Brinkman came on in the ninth and held off the Royals' two-out rally for his first save of the year.

The two teams traded three-run first innings to begin game two before the Royals took a 5-3 lead with two runs in the bottom of the second. BVU then took the lead back for good with three runs in the third, highlighted by RBI doubles from Oseka and Jenkins. The Beavers added three more in the fifth, including a two-run home run from Oseka, to make it 9-5 and never looked back. They pulled away late with a fun-run eighth inning that made it 15-8.

Beekmann added three more hits, drove in five, and scored three runs for Buena Vista while Harris led the way with a 4-for-4 performance with two RBI and three runs scored.  Oseka finished 2-for-3 with four RBI and a team-leading four runs scored. Evan Taylor doubled twice and score three times.

Mark Eddie made the start and earned his first win since May 8, 2022. He battled through six innings for the Beavers and was charged with five runs and nine hits, but struck out nine for the second straight game and has yet to allowed a single walk. Brayden Polzien, along with Harris, combined to work the final three innings.

Buena Vista improves to 4-1 overall this season while the Royals drop to 0-2. The same two teams wrap up the three-game series on Sunday afternoon with a single nine-inning game starting at 12 p.m.