April 21, 2012
Bruins complete sweep; stun Ozarks in opener
MCAC Standings
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Bellevue University baseball team completed a four-game series sweep on Saturday against College of the Ozarks, coming back from a 15-6 deficit in the eighth inning to win 21-17 on a walk-off grand slam before taking the nightcap, 8-3, at Westgate Field in Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference action.
Bellevue is now 32-17 overall and 13-3 in the MCAC while Ozarks has lost seven straight games and dropped to 22-25 and 7-9 in conference play.
The Bruins will return to action on Friday-Saturday, April 27-28 when they wrap-up conference play at Central Christian College.
Game 1: Bellevue 21, Ozarks 17 (10 innings)
BU erased a 15-6 deficit in the eighth inning to storm back and win the opening game on a Brandon Thompson walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning to pull out the 21-17 comeback victory.
Dusty Kerns hit for the cycle, going 4-for-6 with four runs and three RBIs. Thompson also recorded four hits with six RBIs.
The two teams combined for 42 hits and 38 runs in the game.
Ozarks opened the scoring with four runs in the first inning off BU starting pitcher Grant Mason. Nick Lechner tallied an RBI single before Josh Maynard blasted a three-run home run to left field.
The Bruins scored four runs on two hits to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the second inning. Kerns recorded his ninth double of the season, scoring Thompson who opened the inning with a walk. The Bruins capitalized on a pair of miscues by the Bobcats, scoring on a throwing error and wild pitch. BU scored its final run of the inning on a sacrifice bunt by Kelvin Nelson.
Maynard notched his fourth RBI of game on a sacrifice fly to the edge of the warning track and Dustin Forrest followed with a single to right center field that scored Denton Wolf from second base to put the Bobcats ahead, 6-4, in the third inning.
Doubles by Spencer Duggan and Thompson cut the Bruins' deficit down to one run, 6-5. Thompson pounded a double off the top of the right center wall in the bottom of the third to score Duggan.
COFO added to its lead in the fourth on a two-run double by Malachi Melton.
Melton notched his second double of the game that scored Cody Pentecost and Lechner followed with a two-run home run to right field off Eric Locke to take an 11-5 advantage in the sixth.
The Bruins scored their sixth run of the game on Ryan Knutz' single up the middle, scoring Kerns who tripled in the bottom of the sixth.
Lechner's three-run triple highlighted COFO's four-run eighth.
The first six batters reached base as BU scored eight runs on eight hits to trim COFO's lead down to just one, 15-14. Five different Bruins tallied RBIs and Kerns collected two hits, including a solo home run and single in the inning.
BU tied the game in the ninth on Tanner Moore's RBI single that scored Tylor Pavel from second.
The Bobcats came back with two two-out runs in the tenth before the Bruins stormed back with six runs in the bottom half of the inning. Nelson tied it at 17-17 with a two-run home run. The next three batters reached base for Thompson who took the first pitch he saw from Timmy Townsend and blasted it over the right center wall to stun COFO, 21-17.
Robert Greco improved to 5-1, recording three strikeouts in two innings, allowing two hits and a walk. Townsend fell to 1-4 on the season allowing six runs in 1.1 innings pitched.
Ozarks......402 203 040 2 - 17 18 3
Bellevue...041 001 081 6 - 21 24 2
WP: Greco (5-1)
LP: Townsend (1-4)
2B: BU, Kerns, Duggan (2), Thompson, T. Moore, Mattson, Knutz; COFO, Wolf (2), Melton (2)
3B: BU, Kerns; COFO, Lechner
HR: COFO, Maynard, Lechner; BU, Kerns, Nelson, Thompson
Game 2: Bellevue 8, Ozarks 3
The Bruins scored a run in the first four innings en route to the 8-3 win in the series finale.
COFO struck first with a two-run single by Lechner in the opening inning.
Moore put the Bruins on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice fly that scored Pavel who opened the inning with a triple.
BU took a 3-2 lead on a two-run single by Pavel that allowed Knutz and Kerns to cross home plate.
The Bruins added to their lead, scoring a run in the third and two in the fourth inning. Sean Mattson notched a sacrifice fly before Duggan and Thompson tallied two-out RBI singles to push the BU lead to 6-2 after four complete innings of play.
Melton cut the Bobcats' deficit down to 6-3 with a RBI single in the fifth inning.
Duggan hit his fifth home run of the season, a two-run blast over the left field fence in the sixth for the 8-3 win.
Bradley Reeves improved to 3-0 and allowed three runs on six hits in five innings of work. Josh Trejo came on in relief and notched his first career save. Landon Wildham (2-4) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks in three innings.
Ozarks......200 010 0 - 3 8 1
Bellevue...121 202 X - 8 11 2
WP: Reeves (3-0)
LP: Wildhalm (2-4)
S: Trejo (1)
2B: BU, Pavel
3B: BU, Pavel
HR: BU, Duggan
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Bellevue University baseball team completed a four-game series sweep on Saturday against College of the Ozarks, coming back from a 15-6 deficit in the eighth inning to win 21-17 on a walk-off grand slam before taking the nightcap, 8-3, at Westgate Field in Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference action.
Bellevue is now 32-17 overall and 13-3 in the MCAC while Ozarks has lost seven straight games and dropped to 22-25 and 7-9 in conference play.
The Bruins will return to action on Friday-Saturday, April 27-28 when they wrap-up conference play at Central Christian College.
Game 1: Bellevue 21, Ozarks 17 (10 innings)
BU erased a 15-6 deficit in the eighth inning to storm back and win the opening game on a Brandon Thompson walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning to pull out the 21-17 comeback victory.
Dusty Kerns hit for the cycle, going 4-for-6 with four runs and three RBIs. Thompson also recorded four hits with six RBIs.
The two teams combined for 42 hits and 38 runs in the game.
Ozarks opened the scoring with four runs in the first inning off BU starting pitcher Grant Mason. Nick Lechner tallied an RBI single before Josh Maynard blasted a three-run home run to left field.
The Bruins scored four runs on two hits to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the second inning. Kerns recorded his ninth double of the season, scoring Thompson who opened the inning with a walk. The Bruins capitalized on a pair of miscues by the Bobcats, scoring on a throwing error and wild pitch. BU scored its final run of the inning on a sacrifice bunt by Kelvin Nelson.
Maynard notched his fourth RBI of game on a sacrifice fly to the edge of the warning track and Dustin Forrest followed with a single to right center field that scored Denton Wolf from second base to put the Bobcats ahead, 6-4, in the third inning.
Doubles by Spencer Duggan and Thompson cut the Bruins' deficit down to one run, 6-5. Thompson pounded a double off the top of the right center wall in the bottom of the third to score Duggan.
COFO added to its lead in the fourth on a two-run double by Malachi Melton.
Melton notched his second double of the game that scored Cody Pentecost and Lechner followed with a two-run home run to right field off Eric Locke to take an 11-5 advantage in the sixth.
The Bruins scored their sixth run of the game on Ryan Knutz' single up the middle, scoring Kerns who tripled in the bottom of the sixth.
Lechner's three-run triple highlighted COFO's four-run eighth.
The first six batters reached base as BU scored eight runs on eight hits to trim COFO's lead down to just one, 15-14. Five different Bruins tallied RBIs and Kerns collected two hits, including a solo home run and single in the inning.
BU tied the game in the ninth on Tanner Moore's RBI single that scored Tylor Pavel from second.
The Bobcats came back with two two-out runs in the tenth before the Bruins stormed back with six runs in the bottom half of the inning. Nelson tied it at 17-17 with a two-run home run. The next three batters reached base for Thompson who took the first pitch he saw from Timmy Townsend and blasted it over the right center wall to stun COFO, 21-17.
Robert Greco improved to 5-1, recording three strikeouts in two innings, allowing two hits and a walk. Townsend fell to 1-4 on the season allowing six runs in 1.1 innings pitched.
Ozarks......402 203 040 2 - 17 18 3
Bellevue...041 001 081 6 - 21 24 2
WP: Greco (5-1)
LP: Townsend (1-4)
2B: BU, Kerns, Duggan (2), Thompson, T. Moore, Mattson, Knutz; COFO, Wolf (2), Melton (2)
3B: BU, Kerns; COFO, Lechner
HR: COFO, Maynard, Lechner; BU, Kerns, Nelson, Thompson
Game 2: Bellevue 8, Ozarks 3
The Bruins scored a run in the first four innings en route to the 8-3 win in the series finale.
COFO struck first with a two-run single by Lechner in the opening inning.
Moore put the Bruins on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice fly that scored Pavel who opened the inning with a triple.
BU took a 3-2 lead on a two-run single by Pavel that allowed Knutz and Kerns to cross home plate.
The Bruins added to their lead, scoring a run in the third and two in the fourth inning. Sean Mattson notched a sacrifice fly before Duggan and Thompson tallied two-out RBI singles to push the BU lead to 6-2 after four complete innings of play.
Melton cut the Bobcats' deficit down to 6-3 with a RBI single in the fifth inning.
Duggan hit his fifth home run of the season, a two-run blast over the left field fence in the sixth for the 8-3 win.
Bradley Reeves improved to 3-0 and allowed three runs on six hits in five innings of work. Josh Trejo came on in relief and notched his first career save. Landon Wildham (2-4) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks in three innings.
Ozarks......200 010 0 - 3 8 1
Bellevue...121 202 X - 8 11 2
WP: Reeves (3-0)
LP: Wildhalm (2-4)
S: Trejo (1)
2B: BU, Pavel
3B: BU, Pavel
HR: BU, Duggan