PELLA — The Central College baseball team played from behind the entire way Friday in an 13-5 loss to Buena Vista University.

The Beavers (9-6, 1-0 American Rivers Conference) exploded with seven runs in the first inning against the Dutch (9-2, 0-1 conference) and added a four-run burst in the fourth.

Shortstop Tanner Bigelow (sophomore, Gilbert, Highland HS) and third baseman Quinn Miller (senior, Cedar Rapids, Xavier HS) were the bright spots offensively, each notching a pair of hits. Miller had a double and a triple and Bigelow had a double.

"Quinn is such a positive young man," coach Casey Klunder said. "I'm glad he got rewarded for his hard work. He hit with a great approach and it was fun to watch him do that."

As a whole, Central struck out 19 times while only taking two walks and getting seven hits.

"We're going to have to be a lot better offensively, especially on a day when the wind is blowing out, if we're going to compete with a team like Buena Vista," Klunder said.

The Dutch bullpen held the Beavers to six runs on eight hits over the last eight innings. Sam Staley (junior, Cedar Rapids, Jefferson HS) and Andrew Doyle (sophomore, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) each tossed three innings while Parker Jones (sophomore, Verona, Wis., Verona Area HS) held the Beavers scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings.

"The bullpen came in and tried to do their best against a good lineup with the wind blowing out," Klnder said. "Parker was left off the spring trip roster because he had an injury in January. He's really worked his way back. I really appreciate his perseverance and he's got a bright future ahead of him."

The two teams will complete their three-game series Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon.

"I hope that we can fight more tomorrow," Klunder said. "If they're going to punch, we've got to punch back. "We need to be more aggressive than we were today and hopefully we can learn from today."