Bluffton Braves player Kyle Dykhoff connects with a pitch during a game earlier this season. Dykhoff helped the Braves edge New York Mills by a score of 9-5 on Sunday.

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The Bluffton Braves improved to 8-1 on the season with a 9-5 win over the New York Mills Millers on Sunday afternoon.

Brayden Ehnert hit a home run during last week’s game against the Dent Wildcats.

After the opening 10 hitters of the game went down in order, Kyle Dykhoff connected with a one out single in the bottom of the second inning, before he advanced to second base on a Tyson Barthel single. He scored just one batter later on an error to make the score 1-0 in favor of Bluffton.

The Braves added four more runs in the third inning. Isaac Hamann led off the inning with a triple, before Payton Rodestvedt earned a walk. Hamann scored on an error to make the score 2-0, before Justin Dykhoff hit a sacrifice fly to left field and Gabe Geiser hit a two out RBI single to make the score 5-0 in favor of Bluffton. 

The Braves added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-run Kyle Dykhoff single to make the score 7-0 in favor of the Braves. 

Photo by Chad Koenen
Derin Gaudette connects with a pitch during a New York Mills Millers game earlier this season.

In the top of the fifth inning the Millers were finally able to get a runner aboard as Logan Small broke up a perfect game for Bluffton’s Isaac Hamann when he led off the inning with a single. He would later score on a Zach Hocking RBI single, before Adam Patron connected with an RBI single to make the score 7-2 in favor of Bluffton.

After Skylar Mursu was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Finn Roder reached on a fielder’s choice that brought Austin Maneval across the plate to score. 

The big inning continued for NY Mills when Derin Gaudette connected with a two-run single to make the score 7-5 and get the Millers right back into the game.

Bluffton got back on the scoreboard in the fifth inning when Geiser scored on a passed ball to make the score 8-5 and Bluffton added another run in the sixth inning on an error to make the score 9-5, where it would eventually end. 

The Braves were led offensively by Kyle Dykhoff who went 3-3 with three RBI’s, while Barthel, Geiser and Wyatt Hamann each finished with two hits. The Millers were led by Hocking and Maneval who each picked up two hits in the loss for NY Mills.

Isaac Hamann picked up the win on the mound for Bluffton as he went all nine innings and gave up just seven hits and five runs, while striking out six hitters.

Jonah Johnson started the game on the mound for NY Mills as he went 2 2/3 innings and gave up five hits and five runs of which just one was earned. He also struck out four hitters. Small pitched 5 1/3 innings in relief and gave up eight hits, four runs of which two were earned, while walking five and striking out five more batters. 

In addition to Sunday’s game in Bluffton the Millers defeated Dent by a score of 10-0 on Wednesday night as Hunter Holtti pitched six scoreless innings and Teagan Lausten pitched the final two innings of the game. Brayden Ehnert hit a home run in the win.

On Friday night the Millers lost to the Sebeka Stingers by a score of 5-4. The Millers are currently 8-2 on the season.