Tiffin, Ohio – March 16, 2010 – Four runs in the bottom half of the seventh inning erased a 3-3 ballgame and sent the nationally ranked Heidelberg University baseball team to an 8-4 victory over non-conference foe Bluffton University. The game marked the 2010 home opener at Peaceful Valley for the Berg who improved to 8-1. The Beavers fall to 4-5 with the setback.
Heidelberg, ranked third in the nation according to D3baseball.com, plated two runs off the bat of Alex Monroe(Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston) in the seventh to break a tie game. Four batters and two outs later, Ricardo Lizcano (Toledo, Ohio / Roy C. Start) sent a hard hit ball down the third base line to send two more runs across, which would prove to be the eventual game-winning runs.
Bluffton and Heidelberg traded runs in the eighth inning to push the final score to 8-4.
Throwing the seventh inning for the Berg in relief was Daniel Brannum (Jamestown, Ohio / Greeneview). Brannum kept the Beavers at bay, facing just three batters, striking out one, to set the stage for a scoring spurt by the Berg. The win on the mound was the first of his career.
Closer Andy Lowe (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Carroll) pitched the final 1.2 innings and helped secure the win. Lowe gave up one hit, no runs and struck out three to earn his second save on the year.
Six different ’Berg players picked up hits in the win, and the team combined to register 10 hit by pitches. Elvin Williams (Euclid, Ohio / Euclid), Lizcano, Gar Keen (Sparta, Ohio / Highland), Jason Lash (Strongsville, Ohio / Strongsville), Monroe and Justin Suddeth (Warren, Ohio / Howland) each had a hit. Travis McClarney (Mt. Vernon, Ind. / Reitz) had patience at the plate, drawing two walks, while Keen, Lash and Steve Decker (Maumee, Ohio / Springfield) had one apiece.
Heidelberg continues its non-conference slate tomorrow at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. First pitch is slated for 4:00 p.m.
Fans should take note of a schedule change for the upcoming weekend of March 19. The Berg has moved its Sunday, March 21, game at Adrian to Friday, March 19. It will begin at 6:00 p.m. Its scheduled single-game on Saturday, March 20 in Tiffin has been changed to a doubleheader. Game time will remain 1:00 p.m.