Baseball Game Preview: Bluffton Tigers vs. Blackford Bruins

The Bluffton Tigers will square off against the Blackford Bruins at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.

Bluffton is looking to give their home crowd another W after opening their season at home on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past New Haven 11-10. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Trevor Smith was excellent, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Axton Beste, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI.

Meanwhile, Blackford got the win against Community on Friday by a conclusive 16-1.

Trey McIntire made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 13 over five innings pitched. Those 13 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.

In other batting news, Max Bonewit and Cole Dickey did most of the damage at the plate: Bonewit scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances, while Dickey scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Those two runs gave Bonewit a new career-high. Clayton Heflin was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Bluffton beat Blackford 15-10 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bruins turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.