DECORAH, Iowa (April 23, 2022) - The Buena Vista baseball team continues to solidify its spot atop the American Rivers Conference standings with a doubleheader sweep at Luther College on Saturday by scores of 15-5 and 5-3.

The Norse took a 3-1 lead in the opener after a three-run home run in the second inning.  The two teams then each scored twice in the third before BVU took control from there.  RBI's from Jordan Mathewson and Joel Garcia pulled th Beavers even in the fourth and then it was a big seven-run eighth inning that broke the game open.  Logan Mueller and Zach Pleggenkuhle each had 2-run doubles in the inning to highlight the scoring.

BVU finished with 13 hits in the game, including four for extra-bases.  Evan Taylor tripled and was one of five players with two hits.

Morgan Smith had another strong start on the mound, going six innings, allowing six hits, five runs and striking out six.  Mason Gehling worked the final three, allowed just one hit and struck out a pair.

Grant Oseka launched his team-leading fourth home run of the season to break a scoreless game and put BVU up 2-0 in the fourth.  Evan Taylor and Caden Mathewson singled home runs in the sixth while Calvin Harris added a sac fly.  The Beavers maintained the 5-0 lead until the ninth inning when the Norse put together their biggest threat of the game.  They got a two-run single and then a bases loaded walk to make it 5-3 before a pop out and a ground out ended the game.

Oseka's home run was the only extra-base hit for BVU and one of just eight in the game.  Dalton Glenn improved to 4-0 on the year after going seven shutout innings, scattering seven hits and striking out five.  

The sweep ensures BVU of winning its fifth conference series of the year.  The team is now 21-10 on the year (13-4 A-R-C) and maintains its two-game lead over Wartburg in the standings and is at least four games up in the loss column among the rest of the league with seven games remaining.

BVU and Luther will wrap up their three-game series with a single nine-inning game on Sunday beginning at noon.