Rose baseball downs Bluffton 11-3

By David Hughes
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE April 04, 2008 11:50 pm

— Starters Michael Matsui of Rose-Hulman and Matt Perkins of Bluffton were sailing along in what appeared to be a fast-paced pitchers’ duel.
Then came the bottom of the seventh inning.
That’s when the Rose baseball team busted loose for seven runs on its way to an 11-3 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory Friday night at Art Nehf Field.
Knotted at 2-2, the Engineers opened their half of the seventh innocently enough with Alex Decker drawing a walk. Then Kreigh Williams laid down a bunt that rolled the perfect distance between Perkins and the first baseman for a single.
Andrew Bilse also laid down a bunt, which resulted in a sacrifice, and Chandler Kent slapped a single to right-center field to plate pinch-runner Troy Eveslage and Williams and break the tie.
“Once we finally got a few bunts down, we made them play some defense,” Rose-Hulman coach Jeff Jenkins noted. “We have to do that. We don’t have a bunch of big bangers.”
Keenan Long followed with a walk, prompting Bluffton coach James Grandey to replace Perkins with William Gerber.
“We knew we had to get to Bluffton’s bullpen,” Jenkins said. “Perkins was pitching great.”
The first batter to face Gerber, clean-up man Tim Tepe, also drew a walk to load the bases. A wild pitch enabled Kent to trot home and increase the margin to 5-2. One out later, Kirk Thompson made it 7-2 by ripping a two-run single down the left-field line.
Gerber didn’t last past the next batter as Michael Kovacs lined a rocket off the pitcher’s ankle for an infield single. After receiving medical attention on the mound, Gerber needed to be helped to the dugout by teammates.
His replacement, Tyler Sprunger, didn’t fare much better. Eveslage, who probably didn’t expect to be batting in the same inning that he pinch-ran, greeted the Beavers’ second reliever with a two-run double to left-center.
Williams and Bilse received free passes to load the bases before new reliever Nathan Blanton coaxed the third out.
Matsui pitched one more inning before giving way to sophomore Ben Stenger, who hurled a scoreless ninth. Matsui (5-1) allowed seven hits, two earned runs and two walks while striking out five in eight innings.
“Michael was lights out,” Jenkins said. “He wanted to finish it, but we thought it was a good chance to get a younger guy in there.”
Bluffton did a get a 3-for-4 hitting performance from Timothy Kay. For Rose, Thompson had three runs batted in after his deep sacrifice fly brought home Long in the eighth.
Jenkins plans to start Marshall, Ill., sophomore Derek Eitel (4-2) and probably freshman Gannon Sadzeck (1-1) on the mound in today’s doubleheader against Bluffton, beginning at noon at Art Nehf Field.

Rose-Hulman 11, Bluffton 3
Bluffton ab r h bi Rose-Hulman ab r h bi
Moore cf 4 0 0 0 Bilse rf 3 1 0 0
Hunt ph 0 0 0 0 Kent 3b 5 1 2 2
A.Ramthun ss 5 1 1 0 Long c 3 2 1 1
Kay 2b 4 1 3 1 Prochno c 0 0 0 0
M.Ramthun rf 2 1 0 0 Tepe 2b 4 2 1 0
McPherson lf 4 0 1 0 Focke lf 4 0 0 0
Bauman dh 3 0 1 1 Thompson dh 3 1 1 3
Roberts c 3 0 0 0 Kovacs cf 5 1 1 0
Baightel ph 1 0 0 0 Decker 1b 2 0 1 0
Riddle c 0 0 0 0 Eveslage pr 1 1 1 2
Conn 3b 3 0 1 0 Miles 1b 1 0 0 0
Howard ph 1 0 0 0 Williams ss 3 2 2 0
McMonagle 1b 3 0 0 0
Sigg ph 1 0 0 0
Totals 34 3 7 2 Totals 34 11 10 8
Bluffton 000 101 010 — 3
Rose-Hulman 002 000 72x — 11
E — A.Ramthun, Kay, Miles. LOB — BU 8, RH 9. 2B — Kay, Conn, Tepe, Decker, Eveslage. SH — Bilse, Focke. SF — Thompson.
IP H R ER BB SO
Bluffton
Perkins (L, 0-2) 6.1 6 6 5 2 1
Gerber 0.1 2 3 3 1 0
Sprunger 0.0 1 0 0 2 0
Blanton 1.1 1 2 1 0 0
Rose-Hulman
Matsui (W, 5-1) 8.0 7 3 2 2 5
Stenger 1.0 0 0 0 1 1
HBP — by Matsui (Bauman), by Perkins (Thompson), by Blanton (Long). WP — Sprunger 2, Perkins, Gerber. T — 2:40. Att. —100.
Next — Rose (16-7, 3-2 HCAC) and Bluffton (8-12, 2-6) will meet again today for a doubleheader at noon at Art Nehf Field.