AUBURNDALE, Fla. (Mar. 2, 2024) - The Buena Vista baseball team opened its spring break trip on Saturday morning and needed a four-run top of the ninth to hold off Grove City, 5-3, en route to its fifth straight victory.

Fifth-year Calvin Harris led off the second inning for the Beavers by reaching on an error and later scored on a passed ball for a 1-0 lead. That was essentially all BVU starter Morgan Smith needed on the mound as he did not allow a run over his seven innings of work while scattering six hits, striking out eight and walking only one.

Grove City would pull even off reliever Ean McDaniel in the eighth after scoring the tying run on a double play ground out in the bottom of the eighth.

In the top of the ninth, Buena Vista took advantage of three Grove City errors to plate four runs and grab a 5-1 lead. McDaniel then was able to work out of a bit of jam in the bottom half despite allowing a pair of unearned runs.

Tegan Bock was 3-for-3 with a walk to lead the Beavers at the plate and also scored one run and swiped a pair of bases. Harris, along with Joel Garcia and Zack Beekmann, added two hits apiece, as all 10 of BVU's hits were singles. The team stranded 11 runners on base.

McDaniel improved to 2-0 on the mound despite allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits over his two innings of work.

Nick Guidas pitched eight-plus innings for the Wolverines (6-4) and suffered the loss. He allowed a pair of unearned runs and nine hits while striking out seven and walking three. The team had its two-game win streak snapped and is now 0-3 this season against the American Rivers Conference.

Buena Vista improves to 6-1 overall and is set to return to the diamond tomorrow night, Mar. 3, to face Benedictine University (Ill.) at 6 p.m. (7 p.m. EST).