DECORAH, Iowa (Apr. 19, 2024) - The No. 21-ranked Buena Vista University baseball team saw its six-game overall win streak come to an end on Friday afternoon with an 8-2 road loss at Luther College to begin a three-game weekend series.

The Beavers got on the board first with an RBI single from fifth-year senior Grant Oseka in the second inning that scored Joel Garcia. 

A three-run fifth inning put the Norse in front for good as they got an RBI double from catcher Gavin Scurr followed by a 2-run home run from right fielder Mark Prince that made it 3-1.

Graduate student Jordan Mathewson cut into the Luther lead with an RBI single in the seventh that scored junior Zach Pleggenkuhle, but it was all Norse from there. A two-run home run from Prince in the bottom half extended the margin to 5-2 before the Norse added three more runs, on a pair of singles, in the eighth that made it 8-2.

Buena Vista had six different players single in the game to account for all six of the team's base hits. Garcia, the team's leader entering the game with 44 base knocks, was held hitless for just the second time over the last 14 outings, but did earn a pair of walks. The line-up struggles a bit against Luther starter, Harry Blum, who fanned 12 BVU hitters and allowed just four hits over eight innings of work.

Scurr and Prince combined for six of Luther's 11 base hits and three of the Norse's four extra-base knocks.

Junior Morgan Smith (2-2) suffered the loss for the Beavers after being tagged for five runs (four earned) and eight hits over 6.2 innings. He finished with three strikeouts and three walks. Johnny Vallinch came on in relief for the final 1.2 innings and surrendered the final three runs in the eighth.

The Beavers dip to 22-7 overall (11-3 A-R-C) and will look to avoid losing its first A-R-C series in two years when the two teams take the field on Saturday for a doubleheader at 12 p.m.