Beavers take one game from Defiance; Alberson breaks career RBI and total base record at Capital
By Ben Risinger, SID
April 12, 2004
The Bluffton College baseball team (6-19, 2-7 HCAC) picked up a single win last week against rival Defiance College 5-2 on Saturday. Bluffton lost the other two games of the series 13-5 and 9-0. The Beavers lost their 9-inning game last Tuesday to Capital University 22-17.
In the Capital contest, senior Kyle Alberson (Berne, Ind./South Adams) broke two more career baseball records. He broke the career RBI record by hitting a three-run homer in the game to take his career total to 107 RBI’s (on Tuesday). He also broke the career total base record by reaching the base three times on Tuesday, taking his career total to 251 (on Tuesday). The two former records were held by Matt Henderson who played for the Beavers from 1987-90. Henderson posted 104 RBI’s for his career and 248 total bases.
Senior catcher Luke Clouse (Rockford/Parkway) posts a team high batting average of .358 for the season. Junior Ryan Fiely (Greenville/Greenville Sr.) leads the Beavers in hits with 31 for the year and posts a .356 batting average. Alberson leads Bluffton in several offensive categories including total runs (17), doubles (8), home runs (7), RBI’s (26), total bases (55) and slugging percentage (.671). Alberson is currently hitting .317 for the year to round off the Beavers hitting .300 or above.
Senior Josh Underwood (Bluffton/Cory-Rawson) currently posts a 2.89 ERA for the season with a 5-1 record on the mound. Underwood picked up his fifth victory of the season against Defiance on Saturday. His stats include 47 hits, 11 walks and 31 strikeouts for the season. He has faced 185 batters in 46.2 innings pitched, allowing only 47 hits for the year. Underwood currently ranks third in the Heartland Conference with his 2.89 ERA and second in innings pitched.
The Beavers show a .262 batting average (.382 slugging percentage) as a team for the season with 62 errors for a .925 fielding percentage. The pitching staff combines for a 7.90 ERA from the mound with 106 total strikeouts for a .344 opponent batting average.
Bluffton College will be back in action this Tuesday for a single nine inning game at home vs. Earlham College (game time 3:30 pm). The Beavers then host Mount St. Joseph for their 2004 HCAC series on Friday and Saturday. Bluffton plays the Mount at 4 pm on Friday for a nine inning game and hosts the doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 12 noon.
