CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (May 8, 2025) - Senior Joel Garcia looped a fly ball into right with one out that deflected off the glove of the right fielder and scored sophomore Jake Eddie from third, and the top-seed Buena Vista baseball team began the American Rivers Conference Tournament with a 5-4 walk-off victory in 10 innings over fourth-seed Wartburg College inside of Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Eddie led off the 10th with a sharp single up the middle and later advanced to second on a wild pitch. Senior Tegan Bock was trying to sacrifice him over but ended up legging out the attempt for an infield single. Both runners then moved up to second and third with no outs on a passed ball. After a ground out to first from senior Evan Taylor, Garcia stepped in and lifted a 2-2 pitch into shallow right field that hit off the glove of the right fielder for the game-winner.

The Knights, who did hold an 11-8 edge in hits for the game, chased BVU starter Morgan Smith in the seventh inning after hitting a 3-run home run well over the fence in right to take a 4-2 lead. The Beavers clawed back with single runs in both the seventh and eighth innings. Freshman Kaden Struck drove home the first of those with an RBI single in the seventh before Eddie scored the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly by senior Drew Taylor in the eighth.

Taylor also drove in Eddie with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning that gave the Beavers their first lead of the afternoon at 2-1. Wartburg got on the board first with a run in the third inning before junior Connor Zegar's RBI single through the left side in the fourth scored Garcia to make it 1-1.

Garcia went 2-for-4 in the game with a double, RBI and two runs scored. Zegar also chipped in with two hits and an RBI.

Smith battled through 6.2 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) and 10 hits while walking three and striking out two. Freshman Dylan Johnson was sensational in relief as he allowed just one hit and struck out six over his 3.1 innings of work and improves to 3-0 on the year.

Buena Vista improves to 30-10 overall and reaches the 30-win plateau for the second time in three years and for just the sixth time under head coach Steve Eddie. The Beavers will now face the winner of No. 2 Coe College and No. 3 Luther College on Friday at 12 p.m.