No. 18 Baker University football earned its second win of the season and first victory in the Heart of America Athletic Conference after a 34-13 win against Peru State College.

The Wildcats found success with the running game in the first half as they built a 14-0 lead before halftime. Freshman Jermaine Broomfield got the ‘Cats on the scoreboard with a 3-yard touchdown run.

The Baker defense picked up where it left off last week after turning four turnovers against Ottawa as sophomore Gunnar McKenna forced and recovered a fumble to give the ball back to the Wildcats.

Baker capitalized on the turnover when junior Dillon Baxter scored his first touchdown as a member of the Wildcats.

The Bobcats would not go quietly as they put together a 19-play, 9-minute and 41-second drive to begin the second half to pull within 14-6. However, Peru State failed to convert the extra-point attempt.

The ’Cats responded quickly as senior Sam Vossen connected with senior Reggie Harris for a 50-yard touchdown pass on the ensuing drive to push the Wildcats’ lead to 21-6. Harris broke the century mark as he hauled in four receptions for 106 yards.

After BU forced the Bobcat offense to go three-and-out, Vossen led the Wildcats to the end zone again. The senior quarterback found a wide-open Joel Murphy down the middle of the field for his second touchdown pass. The Wildcats were unable to make the point-after attempt, but still maintained a 27-6 advantage.

Peru State’s Ryan Ludlow would not let the Bobcats go down without a fight, however, as he recorded his second touchdown run to cut the deficit to 27-13. Ludlow led the Bobcats with 60 rushing yards and two touchdowns, but the Wildcats held the other Peru State running backs in check. Baker limited the Bobcats to 156 rushing yards on 40 carries after Peru State ran the ball 423 yards against Dakota State in its season opener.

Baker rounded out the scoring with another touchdown run from Broomfield, who had a game-high 146 rushing yards.

Vossen made his first collegiate start because junior Jake Morse was unable to play after sustaining a knee injury in the Wildcats’ season opener. Vossen completed 12 of his 17 passing attempts for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

The Wildcats will attempt to push their record to 3-0 when they take on Evangel University at 6 p.m. Saturday in their home opener at Liston Stadium.