April 26, 2012
BU clinches tie for MCAC title with sweep over Tigers
MCAC Standings
MCPHERSON, Kan. -- The Bellevue University baseball team clinched at least a tie for the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season title with a 12-9 and 12-1 doubleheader sweep against Cental Christian College on Thursday night at Grant Complex.
The Bruins improved to 34-17 on the season and 15-3 in the MCAC. Central Christian fell to 3-44 overall and winless at 0-18 in league play.
The two teams will conclude the four-game series with a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Friday (April 27).
Game 1: Bellevue 12, Central Christian 9 (10 innings)
The Bruins rallied from a 9-2 deficit and scored 10 unanswered runs to pull out a 12-9 win in 10 innings in the series opener.
The Tigers scored four runs on five hits, including a home run and two doubles, to take an early 4-0 lead in the opening inning.
BU put two runs on the scoreboard in the second inning to cut the Tigers' advantage in half, 4-2. Lance Lutz and Sean Mattson started the frame off with back-to-back singles before Ryan Knutz tallied an RBI double and Kelvin Nelson hit a sacrifice fly to center field.
CCC added two runs in the third and four in the fourth to take a 9-2 lead, but Eric Locke and Robert Greco shut down the Tigers' offense the remaining of the game, combining for seven scoreless innings, allowing just five hits with eight strikeouts.
Brandon Thompson, this week's MCAC Player of the Week, blasted a two-run home run and the BU scored pitch and an RBI groundout by Knutz to get within three, 9-6, in the top of the fifth.
Lutz notched an RBI double in the sixth and Spencer Duggan registered a sacrifice fly before Tanner Moore singled up the middle to even the score at 9-all in the seventh.
The Bruins took their only lead of the game in the tenth inning, scoring three runs on four hits to win, 12-9. Dusty Kerns, Knutz and Nelson each recorded RBIs to propel BU.
Greco (6-1) picked up the win in relief, allowing two hits, one walk with three strikeouts in three innings of work. Chris Trenckmann (0-2) suffered the loss giving up three runs in the tenth.
BU outhit the Tigers 20-15 and are now 5-2 in extra innings this season.
Bellevue..................020 041 200 3 - 12 20 2
Central Christian...402 300 000 0 - 9 15 0
W: Greco (6-1)
L: Trenckmann (0-2)
2B: BU, Lutz Knutz; CCC, Banks, Stephenson, Abbott
HR: BU, Thompson; CCC, Schiesser
Game 2: Bellevue 12, Central Christian 1
The Bruins scored 12 runs over the first four innings, including a six-run second, while cruising to the 12-1 win in the nightcap. Michael Calderon (8-1) got the complete-game win, allowing just two hits while striking out 11 batters in seven innings of work.
Spencer Duggan led the Bruins at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs. Nelson went 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Nelson finished the day 5-for-5.
BU took a 1-0 lead in the first on a ground-out RBI by Lutz, before exploding for six runs in the second, sparked by a two-run single by Nelson and a two-run double by Duggan. Bellevue added three in the third with an RBI single by Tylor Pavel and another two-run double by Duggan, to extend the lead to 10-0.
In the fourth, Knutz drove in a run on an RBI single and Nelson's sacrifice fly to left field made it 12-0.
The Tigers avoided the shutout with an RBI single to center field by Duce Jackson in the bottom of the sixth frame.
Bellevue.................163 200 0 - 12 14 0
Central Christian...000 001 0 - 1 2 1
W: Calderon (8-1)
L: Neives (0-4)
2B: BU, Duggan 2, Thompson 2
MCPHERSON, Kan. -- The Bellevue University baseball team clinched at least a tie for the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season title with a 12-9 and 12-1 doubleheader sweep against Cental Christian College on Thursday night at Grant Complex.
The Bruins improved to 34-17 on the season and 15-3 in the MCAC. Central Christian fell to 3-44 overall and winless at 0-18 in league play.
The two teams will conclude the four-game series with a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Friday (April 27).
Game 1: Bellevue 12, Central Christian 9 (10 innings)
The Bruins rallied from a 9-2 deficit and scored 10 unanswered runs to pull out a 12-9 win in 10 innings in the series opener.
The Tigers scored four runs on five hits, including a home run and two doubles, to take an early 4-0 lead in the opening inning.
BU put two runs on the scoreboard in the second inning to cut the Tigers' advantage in half, 4-2. Lance Lutz and Sean Mattson started the frame off with back-to-back singles before Ryan Knutz tallied an RBI double and Kelvin Nelson hit a sacrifice fly to center field.
CCC added two runs in the third and four in the fourth to take a 9-2 lead, but Eric Locke and Robert Greco shut down the Tigers' offense the remaining of the game, combining for seven scoreless innings, allowing just five hits with eight strikeouts.
Brandon Thompson, this week's MCAC Player of the Week, blasted a two-run home run and the BU scored pitch and an RBI groundout by Knutz to get within three, 9-6, in the top of the fifth.
Lutz notched an RBI double in the sixth and Spencer Duggan registered a sacrifice fly before Tanner Moore singled up the middle to even the score at 9-all in the seventh.
The Bruins took their only lead of the game in the tenth inning, scoring three runs on four hits to win, 12-9. Dusty Kerns, Knutz and Nelson each recorded RBIs to propel BU.
Greco (6-1) picked up the win in relief, allowing two hits, one walk with three strikeouts in three innings of work. Chris Trenckmann (0-2) suffered the loss giving up three runs in the tenth.
BU outhit the Tigers 20-15 and are now 5-2 in extra innings this season.
Bellevue..................020 041 200 3 - 12 20 2
Central Christian...402 300 000 0 - 9 15 0
W: Greco (6-1)
L: Trenckmann (0-2)
2B: BU, Lutz Knutz; CCC, Banks, Stephenson, Abbott
HR: BU, Thompson; CCC, Schiesser
The Bruins scored 12 runs over the first four innings, including a six-run second, while cruising to the 12-1 win in the nightcap. Michael Calderon (8-1) got the complete-game win, allowing just two hits while striking out 11 batters in seven innings of work.
Spencer Duggan led the Bruins at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs. Nelson went 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Nelson finished the day 5-for-5.
BU took a 1-0 lead in the first on a ground-out RBI by Lutz, before exploding for six runs in the second, sparked by a two-run single by Nelson and a two-run double by Duggan. Bellevue added three in the third with an RBI single by Tylor Pavel and another two-run double by Duggan, to extend the lead to 10-0.
In the fourth, Knutz drove in a run on an RBI single and Nelson's sacrifice fly to left field made it 12-0.
The Tigers avoided the shutout with an RBI single to center field by Duce Jackson in the bottom of the sixth frame.
Bellevue.................163 200 0 - 12 14 0
Central Christian...000 001 0 - 1 2 1
W: Calderon (8-1)
L: Neives (0-4)
2B: BU, Duggan 2, Thompson 2