Box Score MILLINGTON, Tenn. (March 12, 2026) - The Buena Vista baseball team opened a three-game series against Rhodes College on Thursday afternoon with a game that was moved to here to USA Baseball Stadium due to rainy conditions throughout the day in Memphis, Tenn.

With the game tied at 5-5 going to the eighth inning, the Beavers took their first lead of the day after scoring a pair of runs to go in front 7-5. Sophomore Connor Duong lifted a 2-0 pitch out into left center field to put BVU in front while sophomore Jack Schmaltz came on and sent an RBI single into right for a big insurance run.

Rhodes (9-4) loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half of the frame and got one run back on a fielder's choice force out at second base before Dan Meis worked out of the jam by recording his only strikeout over 1.2 innings of relief en route to his first career victory. Junior Jake Eddie came on to pitch the ninth and worked around a one-out single to earn his first save of the year and the second of his career.

Sophomore Kaden Struck was 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI on the day and knocked in the first of those two runs in the top of the first inning with a single down the left field line to give the Beavers a quick 1-0 lead. The Lynx came back in the bottom half with a three-run home run to take a 3-1 lead. Struck got one of those runs back in the second with his second RBI single in as many at-bats, scoring sophomore Teagen Kasel, who had a career day with three hits and three runs scored.

Junior Brandon Jenkins pulled BVU even at 3-3 in the third with an RBI single to shortstop before sophomore Cooper Sobeck gave the team its first lead at 4-3 with a solo home run to right in the fourth. The Lynx tied the game in the home half with a solo home run of its own before the Beavers got the lead right back in the fifth on an RBI single from Duong.

The Lynx belted their third home run of the game and its second straight solo shot to tie the game at 5-5 in the sixth.

Junior Ean McDaniel got the start on the hill for BVU and pitched six solid innings, allowing all five runs on six hits while striking out five and walking only one.

Kasel finished 3-for-6 at the dish with a double with Duong going 3-for-4 with a double, walk, two RBI and a pair of runs scored. Freshman Benjamin Byington also chipped in with three hits and went 3-for-4 with a walk and one run scored. BVU was able to overcome stranding 14 runners in the game.

Buena Vista improves to 3-7and takes the diamond for game two of the series on Friday morning with first pitch at 11 a.m. CT. The series is set to return to the Rhodes College campus for the final two games.