STORM LAKE, Iowa (May 1, 2025) - The Buena Vista baseball team jumped out to an early 11-0 lead over No. 22 Coe College on Thursday night and would go on to hold off a late rally by the Kohawks, as the Beavers took the opener of the much-anticipated three-game series, 12-7.

BVU came into the series needing a three-game sweep of Coe to clinch its third regular season conference championship in the last four years.

Junior Connor Zegar hit a squibbler out toward third base which scored senior Joel Garcia from third and make it 1-0. The Beavers then broke things open in the second off of Coe ace Jack Walsh, who came into the game having allowed only 10 runs all season. BVU tagged him for seven runs in the inning. Senior Evan Taylor drove in a pair with an RBI single to left, Zegar laced a double down the right field line that plated two more before freshman Cooper Sobeck had a two-run double to the gap in right center that made it 8-0.

Sophomore Jake Eddie, along with Evan Taylor, added RBI singles in the fourth sandwiched around a wild pitch that scored Sobeck to make it 11-0.

Coe was able to get baserunners on against senior Morgan Smith, but the right hander buckled down and got out of any jam by getting double play ground balls in both the fifth and sixth innings. The Kohawks went on to out-hit the Beavers in the game, 16-15.

BVU was two outs away from ending the game via run-rule in the seventh inning, but the Kohawks got on the board with a 2-run double that landed right on the left field line on a 2-2 pitch and added an RBI single later in the frame to make it 12-3. 

Struck doubled down the left field line in the bottom of the inning with only one out to get one run back, but would be stranded there as the Beavers looked to walk things off. Neither team then scored in the eighth as the Kohawks left the bases loaded in the top half. Things got a bit more uncomfortable in the ninth as Coe had scored three runs off reliever Levi Kennedy before recording the first out of the inning, but senior Zach Pleggenkuhle would come on in relief to get a strikeout to end the game.

All nine batters recorded at least one hit for the Beavers in the game led by Evan Taylor who was 3-for-5 with three RBI and one run scored. Garcia was 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored, Struck was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and one run scored. He was also hit by a pitch. Sobeck and Eddie also added two hits each with Eddie also getting hit once. BVU had four doubles in the game and was hit a total of three times.

Smith was charged with only three runs over 7.0 innings and worked around 10 hits while striking out two and walking a pair. He's now 8-1 on the year and improves to 23-8 in his career and is one win shy of tying the program's all-time mark. Kennedy pitched the next 1.2 innings and was tagged for four runs and six hits before Pleggenkuhle got the final out of the game on only six pitches.

Tyce Johnson and Jack Allison led the Kohawks with three hits apiece with Johnson also driving in two. Only two of Coe's 16 base hits in the game went for extra bases. Walsh (5-1) allowed eight runs and six hits over just 2.0 innings and suffered his first loss of the year.

Buena Vista improves to 27-10 overall (16-6 A-R-C) while Coe is now 27-9 (17-5 A-R-C). The two teams return to the field on Friday, May 2, with the conference regular season title on the line. The Kohawks need to split the doubleheader to win the title outright while BVU needs the sweep to claim the crown. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.