CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (May 9, 2025) - For the second time in a week, senior Mark Eddie pitched a nine-inning complete game against Coe College, and with this outing, he lifts the Buena Vista baseball team into the championship game of the American Rivers Conference Tournament with a 3-0 victory over the Kohawks on Friday afternoon inside of Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Eddie was in control from the opening pitch, allowing only four hits, striking out three and walking only one, as the Kohawks never reached third base the entire way. The only real threat Coe had came in the top of the first when Jake Brosius singled with two outs, stole second and Tyce Johnson walked. Eddie, however, worked out of the jam with a flyout to end the inning. Eddie now has 88 strikeouts this season which puts him into a tie for third on the program's single-season list and only two shy of second.

It was another classic pitcher's duel between Eddie and Coe's starter Ethan O'Donnell. BVU was able to scratch across the game's first run in the third inning. Sophomore Jake Eddie led off with single through the right side and advanced to third two batters later on a double into the rightfield corner off the bat of senior Evan Taylor. Senior Joel Garcia then followed with his 20th career sacrifice fly that scored Eddie to make it 1-0.

That's how things stood until the eighth inning when BVU's bats came back to life. Taylor led off the inning and launched the second pitch of his at-bat over the fence in right for a solo home run that made it 2-0. It was Taylor's grand slam against the Kohawks in the series finale last Friday that gave BVU the 9-5 victory and the regular season title.

Garcia came up next and singled on a sharp line drive just over the shortstop's head. He then scampered all the way around to score from first base on an RBI double down the left field line from Connor Zegar that gave the Beavers their final insurance run at 3-0.

Eddie allowed only a pair of singles over the final four innings and retired the Kohawks in order in the ninth en route to the team's fourth win over the Kohawks in the last seven days. He's now 9-1 on the year which ties him for second-place on the program's single season wins list. The all-time record is 10 held by both Larry Frakes (1976) and Ryan Wuebker (2010).

Taylor finished 2-for-4 at the plate and is now only one hit away from tying Jordan Mathewson's all-time hits record of 240. Sophomore Brandon Jenkins also had two hits and walk to go along with a stolen base. Overall, BVU tallied seven hits in the game, including three that went for extra-bases.

Buena Vista improves to 31-10 on the year and will now await its opponent for Saturday's championship game that is scheduled for 2 p.m.

No. 4 seed Wartburg College faces No. 6 Nebraska Wesleyan in the second game of the day on Friday with the winner advancing to play No. 3 seed Luther in the nightcap at 6 p.m. on Friday night. Coe meanwhile, will await the winner from the 6 p.m. game and will play that team on Saturday morning in an elimination game at 11 a.m. That winner will then move on to face the Beavers.