STORM LAKE, Iowa (Apr.  10, 2026) - The Buena Vista baseball team returned home on Friday afternoon to host Coe College for the first two games of a three-game weekend series, and the two teams played a pair of thrilling one-run games with the Kohawks edging BVU 1-0 in the opener before the Beavers bounced back with a 9-8 victory in the nightcap.

It was a pitcher's duel in the opener with the only run coming across in the fifth on a bases loaded walk. Junior Ean McDaniel had retired the first two batters of the inning before issuing a two-out walk followed by back-to-back singles to load the bases. Ben Byington doubled to lead off the home half of the inning but was stranded at third after a sacrifice bunt as Coe starter Jack Walsh got back-to-back strikeouts.

McDaniel (1-5) pitched 6.0 strong innings for the Beavers, allowing just the one run and four hits while striking out five. He got out of a pair of early jams as the defense turned a pair of big double plays.

In the third inning, the Beavers had runners on second and third and only one out, but a pair of foul outs ended the inning.

Connor Duong and Mason Hoberman also added one hit each for the Beavers who were held to only the three hits. Junior Koleson Evans came on in relief to work the final three scoreless innings and scattered just three hits and struck out four.

Coe jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning but the lead didn't last long as BVU came right back in the bottom half by getting two of those runs back with RBI singles from junior Jake Eddie as well as Byington. After the Kohawks added on one run in the second, the Beavers tied things at 4-4 in the home half with an RBI single from Duong and a fielder's choice by sophomore Teagen Kasel that scored sophomore Cooper Sobeck.

Coe jumped back in front with another run in the third but the Beavers came right back to tie it at 5-5 on an RBI single from sophomore Dylan Johnson and then took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth, including a two-run single from Kasel. Sobeck later added  an RBI triple in the fifth for the team's final score that made it 9-5. It marked Sobeck's sixth triple of the season which is one shy of matching Brad Blum's all-time single-season record of seven.

The Kohawks (19-9,  10-4 A-R-C) clawed their way back with a two-run single in the sixth that made it 7-5 before getting a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the ninth inning. They later loaded the bases with two outs but the other Dylan Johnson worked out of the jam by ending the game with his only strikeout. Coe stranded 11 runners overall.

Sobeck and Eddie both finished with three hits in the game with Sobeck also scoring two runs. Kasel and Byington both chipped in with two hits as the Beavers tallied 13 overall with 12 coming on singles.

Freshman lefthander Kalab Kuhl (1-4) notched his first collegiate victory on the mound by pitching 5.1 innings, allowing seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits, striking out three and walking only one. Carson Brachtel came on and pitched 2.0 innings and allowed only one base runner on a hit-by-pitch. Johnson pitched the final 1.1 innings and would go on to earn his second save of the year.

Buena Vista is now 7-21 overall (3-11 A-R-C). The two teams will wrap up the series on Saturday with first pitch being pushed back to 1 p.m. due to rain.