Bruins earn win, tie against Mount Mercy
Kerns hits walk-off single in opener; Teams battle to 4-4 draw in nightcap ...
MINNEAPOLIS -- The 17th-ranked Bellevue University baseball team completed their four-game series with Mount Mercy University on Friday afternoon with a 2-1 win in the opener, before settling for a 4-4 draw in the nightcap at the Metrodome.
Bellevue (3-0-1) will travel to Oklahoma next Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 16-17, with games scheduled against MidAmerica Nazaerene University and fourth-ranked Oklahoma City University.
Game 1: Bellevue 2, Mount Mercy 1
Dusty Kerns' walk-off two-run single in the bottom of the seventh lifted BU to a 2-1 comeback victory in the opener that was dominated by pitching as the two teams combined for just six hits.
Kyle Kinman (1-0) earned the complete game victory, allowing just two hits with six strikeouts and five walks. Bailey Hollingsworth suffered the loss for the Mustangs, giving up four hits and two walks while striking out two batters in 6.1 innings of work.
Robert Fuhr broke the scoreless tie in the sixth inning with a fielder's choice that scored Jeff Dorman who led the frame off with a single.
With the bases loaded, Kerns delivered the game-winning hit off Hollingsworth in the bottom of the seventh.
Mount Mercy...000 001 0 -- 1 2 1
Bellevue.........000 000 2 -- 2 4 2
2B: BU, Embery
Win: Kinman (1-0)
Loss: Hollingsworth (0-1)
Game 2: Bellevue 4, Mount Mercy 4
The Bruins completed the four-game series with a 4-4 draw as the second game was called due to time limitations.
The Mustangs grabbed an early 2-0 advantage in the top of the first on an RBI double by Joe Arnold and a one-run single by Jimmy Lizarraga.
The Bruins responded in the bottom half of the first on a sacrifice fly by Devin Ferguson that plated Kinman, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Bellevue tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on a ground-out RBI by Tanner Moore that scored Beau Dahmen from third base.
Kerns drilled an RBI single to center field in the bottom of the sixth to give the Bruins their first lead of the game at 3-2. Mount Mercy quickly answered in the top of the seventh with a pair of runs off of RBI singles by Jeff Dorman and Alex Rodriguez, giving the Mustangs a 4-3 advantage.
Consecutive doubles by Ferguson and Moore tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh.
After a scoreless eighth innng for both teams, the game officially ended in a tie.
Mount Mercy...200 000 20 -- 4 7 1
Bellevue.........100 011 10 -- 4 7 0
2B: BU, Kinman, Ferguson, Moore; MMU, Arnold 2; Thornton
3B: BU, Moore