The Buena Vista University (BVU) baseball team looked forward to a three game stretch of IIAC games this past week, but the series ended in a disappointing fashion with the team taking one win away from three matchups.

Kicking off their week defending the home stadium, the Beavers battled in two back-and-forth games with the visiting Dubuque Spartans.

Game one put Gage Smart on mound for BVU. Smart began game one strong, limiting the visiting offense to one run in the first four innings.

The ballgame’s first run happened in the bottom of the third, when Peyton Renning drove in Parker Truesdell with a sacrifice fly to the outfield. BVU took the lead 1-0.

With one run scored in four different innings, Buena Vista ended on top, 3-2.

Game two saw Dubuque capitalizing on 12 hits, as their offense defeated the Beaver defense. The hits, and four runs committed by the home defense, totaled to four runs for the visiting Spartans. Buena Vista plated two, with seven hits, resulting in a Dubuque victory.

The day ended in a split, 1-1. Then, the Beavers hit the road.

The final game of the series against the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves put Tyler Heineman on the mound to start.

A quick start to the offense gave BVU the lead early on after a succession of hits including a double by junior third baseman Porter Sartor putting the visiting team up 7-0 at the end of the second.

However, Wesleyan cut the lead down significantly right away, scoring five. A back and forth affair allowed BVU to seem hopeful for a win after the home team scored another three, but the Prairie Wolves comeback was not over.

Nebraska Wesleyan scored six in the bottom of the 8th inning, holding BVU to zero in the ninth and finishing off the Beavers.

After the one win and the pair of losses, the Beavers fell to 11-13 overall, with 7-4 in the conference. Their next games will be held at Coe on Friday, April 20, for three games over two days.

BVU women’s softball faced a daunting week with four home games against two nationally ranked IIAC opponents, #5 Luther and #23 Central.

The first matchup of the week placed BVU pitcher Moriah Guyett on the mound against the Luther Norse offense, ranking #1 in hits in the Iowa Conference.

The Norse made a statement immediately, sending a two-run homer over the left field fence.

BVU answered back as Kate Lesmeister did the same not long after, and scoring for herself and senior Autumn Boland to tie the game at two each.

However, the Luther bats overwhelmed Guyett, and Marissa Promes came in to relieve her. Nothing changed, and the Norse grabbed the win in a final score of 6-4.

Promes would continue her time on the mound, starting game two and going the distance for all seven innings.

Unfortunately for her, the Norse began the game with two singles and a walk to bring four runners back to the plate and take an early lead.

Buena Vista surged back, chipping away at the Luther lead over the course of the game. But, another Luther run in the top of the fourth put them up 5-4 to enter the final inning of the game.

With two runners on, two outs, and the game on the line, BVU sophomore Michaela Mason singled into the right field gap to bring Jeanne Bramhall home from second base. However, a strong throw from the outfield to home plate caught Bramhall before she could score, and the game ended in favor of the Norse. Final score: 5-4.

The BVU softball team played their next pair of games a day later, hosting the Central Dutch. The #23 Dutch came into the contest 18-7 (5-2 in the IAAC).