The Buena Vista baseball team scored seven unanswered runs over the final two innings on Tuesday morning and hung on in the end to top St. John's University (Minn.), 10-9.
After junior Jeremy Lambert (Alta, Iowa/Alta) doubled home a run in the top of the first to give BVU a 1-0 lead, the Johnnies responded in the bottom half with a pair of runs to take their first lead at 2-1.
After the two teams went scoreless over the next two frames, the Beavers regained the advantage in the fourth when senior Ryan Scheetz (Omaha, Neb./Millard North), who had a season-high three hits in the contest, singled home a pair.
SJU again answered in the bottom half, getting a run on one hit, despite leaving two runners stranded.
The Johnnies then opened a 9-3 cushion after adding three more runs in both the sixth and seventh innings.
As they have been able to do all season so far, the Beavers had another comeback in them, starting with four two-out runs in the eighth to get back within 9-7. Freshman Brandon Wessels (Palmer, Iowa/Manson NW Webster) doubled down the left field line with one out and advanced to third one batter later on a ground out. Sophomore Jesse Munsterman (St. Peter, Minn./St. Peter) came through with an RBI infield hit towards first before junior Nick Schlecht (Omaha, Neb./Skutt) followed a Scheetz single with a two-run triple to right. It was his first three-bagger of the year and the team's sixth. Dillon Plath (Omaha, Neb./Burke) capped the scoring with a run-scoring infield single.
Lambert got the rally started for the Beavers in the ninth, leading off the inning with a single up the middle, followed by a Wessels double to left. Senior Neil Eddie (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) then drove home Lambert with a sacrifice fly to make it a 9-8 contest before Munsterman tied things up with his first double of the year. Scheetz then followed with his third RBI of the game, a single up the middle, to give BVU its first lead since the third fourth inning.
Sophomore Jake Bjorkgren (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) then came on to pitch a perfect ninth for his team-leading third save of the year.
Aside from Scheetz's three hits, Munsterman, Wessels and Plath each followed with two base knocks with Wessels scoring three times and Munsterman and Lambert twice.
Sophomore Lucas Hadaway (Sheldahl, Iowa/North Polk), who was the team's third pitcher of the game, picked up his first win of the year after pitching 2.2 innings and allowing three runs on eight hits, to go along with three strikeouts. Andrew Marshall (Sheldon, Iowa/Sheldon) got the start and went three innings, allowing three runs on just one hit, while walking five and striking out four. Senior Griffin Hatten (Bancroft, Iowa/North Sentral Kossuth) relieved Marshall and worked the next 2.1 innings and was charged with three (unearned) runs on two hits.
Buena Vista, which has now played six one-run games this season, improves to 5-4 overall and is set to wrap up its spring break trip on Wednesday with a 4:00pm contest against Williams College (MA). The team will then return home to play its home openers and Iowa Conference openers on Friday and Saturday (March 29-30) against Luther College. Game one on Friday is slated for 1:00pm.