It was more difficult than expected, but the Beavers finally earned their first win of the 2016 season. Blackburn overcame non-conference opponent Lincoln Christian with a tenth inning rally to walk away with the 6-5 victory. Brock Hill was the hero for Blackburn with his tenth inning single that drove in two runs, after he scored the tying run in the bottom of the ninth. This was the second time the Beavers had won via walk-off against Lincoln Christian after they won 3-2 last year when they beaned Aaron Moody with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.
The action began in the top of the second when Lincoln Christian struck first scoring three runs off of a double and a two-run homerun that still has the Beavers baffled on how it went out.
But the Beavers retaliated in the bottom half of the frame powered by a single from junior Joey Szerletich that scored senior Aaron Moody. Senior Brock Hill would score the second run for Blackburn after a wild pitch to make it a 3-2 game.
Blackburn would then take the lead in the bottom of the seventh when pinch hitter Parker Ramaker hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Brock Hill on an errant throw from the Lincoln Christian second basemen. Then senior Jared Jones continued his hot streak with an RBI double that scored pinch runner Brandon Smith.
Needing six outs for the win, the Beavers went deeper into their bullpen to hold on. However Lincoln Christian would not go quietly, and put up back to back doubles to tie the game 4-4. Blackburn turned to their closer sophomore Tyler Durand for the five-out save at this point. Durand struck out the first hitter he faced, but Lincoln Christian scrapped for a two-out single to take the 5-4 lead.
The Beavers were eventually down to their final three outs. Down 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth, Brock Hill sparked the rally with a leadoff triple off of the right field wall. Following a ground out, the Beavers tied the game after Brandon Smith executed a perfect suicide squeeze down the third base line.
Headed into extra innings Lincoln Christian kept swinging. A leadoff double, a groundout to move the runner to third, and one passed ball later, the opponent had a one run lead yet again.
With one out in the bottom of the tenth, Tyler Durand drew a walk to bring senior Matt Mokriakow to the dish. The all-region right fielder smashed a single to left to bring up Aaron Moody. Moody followed suit by smashing a line drive of his own to left to load the bases with one out. Enter Brock Hill, who capped off his busy day with a base hit to center field that scored the winning run and stealing the first win of the season.
Brock Hill did it all for the Beavers with his 3-5 performance with two RBI’s and scoring three runs.
Reed Rusten got the W on the mound for Blackburn after tossing six innings giving up three earned runs on five hits with an impressive nine strikeouts. The nine K’s are a Beaver high this season.
Blackburn hits the road this weekend as they travel to Louisville, Kentucky to being conference play against division rival Spalding University on Saturday, March 19th.