PELLA, Iowa (Apr. 3, 2025) - The Buena Vista baseball team played its first true road game of the season on Thursday afternoon at Central, and the Beavers started fast with all four of their runs coming in the top of the first as they held off the Dutch, 4-3.

Senior Joel Garcia doubled home the game's first run and then later scored on a passed ball to make it 2-0. Junior Connor Zegar notched an RBI single through the left side before sophomore Jake Eddie capped the scoring with an RBI ground out that made it 4-0.

BVU kept the Dutch in check for nearly the entire game, Central scored all three of its runs on one swing of the bat with a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth. The Dutch got a runner to second with one out in both the eighth and ninth innings, but senior Zach Pleggenkuhle recorded a pair of strikeouts to end the eighth and got a foul out and a punch out to end the game.

Freshman Gunnar Russell made the start on the hill for BVU and earned his first career victory. The righthander went 6.0 innings and allowed three runs and scattered six hits while striking out a career-high nine and walking only three. Logan Lape-Brinkman pitched a scoreless seventh before turning things over to Pleggenkule who went on to earn his fourth save of the season.

Garcia finished 2-for-3 at the plate for BVU with a pair of doubles and a hit by pitch, while Zegar and Tegan Bock each went 2-for-4. 

Buena Vista improves to 15-5 overall (7-1 A-R-C) and travels to Loras College (14-8, 4-3 A-R-C) for a three-game weekend series beginning on Friday, Apr. 4 with the single game starting at 6 p.m.