Bruins edge Siena Heights, St. Francis (Ill.) at Warner Invite
Kinman stars in opener ... Knutz produces walk-off single in the nightcap
Siena Heights Box Score
St. Francis (Ill.) Box Score
LAKE WALES, Fla. -- The 17th-ranked Bellevue University baseball team picked up a pair of wins Thursday at the Warner University Invitational, dropping Siena Heights University, 4-2, in the opener, before pulling out a 3-2 eight-inning victory over 19th-ranked University of St. Francis (Ill.) in the second game.
The Bruins (9-4-1) continue action at the tournament on Friday (March 8) with a 9:30 a.m. game against Thomas (Ga.) University and a 12:30 p.m. contest with Lourdes University.
Bellevue 4, Siena Heights 2
Kyle Kinman led the Bruins at the plate and on the mound as Bellevue took the opening game of the tournament, 4-2.
Kinman led off the contest with a solo home run in the first at-bat of the game. The Bruins extended the lead to 4-0 in the third inning after a sacrifice fly to center field by Andy Smolinski, a ground-out RBI by Tanner Moore, and an RBI single by Nate Mullins.
A two-run single by Kyle Benschoter in the bottom of the fifth cut the Bruin lead in half at 4-2.
Kinman shut down the Saints in the final two innings, allowing just a single base hit to secure the 4-2 victory.
Kinman (2-2) earned the complete-game win, scattering six hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in seven innings of work. At the plate, Kinman finished 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, two runs scored, and an RBI.
Bellevue 3, St. Francis 2 (8 innings)
Ryan Knutz' walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the Bruins the dramatic 3-2 win over St. Francis in the second game of the day.
Knutz registered two RBIs in the victory. Moore went 3-for-4 with a double and Mullins finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Michael Calderon (2-0) earned the complete-game win, allowing eight hits and two walks while recording four strikeouts in eight innings of work.
Neither team scored until the bottom of the fourth inning when consecutive singles by Kinman, Moore, and Brian Embery gave the Bruins a 1-0 advantage.
The Saints took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly to left field by Joe Ruge that scored pinch runner Luke Wyss from third and an RBI single to right field by Brandon Mendoza.
Bellevue tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning on a ground-out RBI by Knutz that plated Mullins.
Moore led off the eighth inning with a double to right field and was sacrificed over to third by Embery. Mullins and Dusty Kerns were intentionally walked to load the bases, before Knutz drove in the winning run with an RBI single.