BLUFFTON, Ohio - April 15, 2025 - A back-and-forth game ended in a 12-12 tie on Tuesday evening between Hiram and Bluffton, as the two teams battled it out through the 10th inning before darkness forced the non-conference battle to a deadlock.
The seesaw affair saw Hiram hold a 5-0 lead and Bluffton hold a 10-6 lead before both teams exchanged multiple crooked numbers. The final result marked Hiram's first tie since 2019, when the Terriers tied Ohio Wesleyan, 13-13.
Hiram jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, with Hal Walker Jr. lacing an RBI double before Tyler Fernandez lifted his fourth homer of the year, a two-run shot to center field. Ethan Ryan hit an RBI single and John Bender stole home on a double-steal to carve out the big advantage.
The Beavers showed resilience, though, scoring 10 of the next 11 runs – six of which were unearned runs – to pull ahead by four runs. Andrew Fawver, who made his first collegiate start, allowed just two earned runs over four innings, giving his team a great chance to pull out the win.
The Terriers responded by scoring four runs between the sixth and seventh innings, three of which came on a double off the bat of Evan Fairbanks. The score now stood at 10-10 and was followed by four straight shutout innings of relief from Braeden Kinnaird and Landin Wescott to set up a 10th inning.
Hiram took a 12-10 lead in a 10th inning that began with runners at second and third with no outs. Chaisson Marrs eventually came around to score on a wild pitch and Walker Jr. crossed home on a sacrifice fly, capping off a day that saw Walker Jr. record another three hits, giving him 177 career base knocks. He is closing in on the program's all-time hits record held by Mike Davis (182).
Bluffton answered with two runs in the home half of the inning, but a groundout to third base kept it a tie game. With the game time approaching four hours and the actual time surpassing 8 p.m., the teams agreed to a stalemate.
Hiram will return to the diamond on Thursday, when it hosts Oberlin for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. from Fishel Field in Hiram, Ohio.
