Bruins dispatch Warner, 4-1

LAKE WALES, Fla. -- Senior catcher Osvaldo Gonzalez (Miami, Fla.) registered his fifth straight multi-hit game (3-4) to lead the Bellevue University baseball team past Warner University, 4-1, on Tuesday afternoon at the Royals Baseball Field. No. 12 Bellevue (8-3) improves to 2-1 on their southern trip while Warner falls to 5-14 overall on the year with their fourth straight loss.

Sophomore Stephan Meyer (Tucson, Ariz.) got the nod on the hill, working seven great innings of four-hit ball and departing with a 4-1 lead. He allowed just one unearned run while striking out four to improve to 2-1 on the year while lowering his ERA to 0.56.

Bellevue got things started early with their first three batters of the game reaching base. Junior center fielder Miles Campbell (New Cumberland, Pa.) walked while senior second baseman Tyler Blood and Gonzalez singled. Junior right fielder Gabriel De La Rosa (Miami, Fla.) then delivered a sac fly to right to chase home Campbell with the game's first run.

The Bruins doubled their advantage two innings later. With one out, Blood singled up the middle and advanced to third on a double to left by Gonzalez before coming home to score on a wild pitch to De La Rosa.

Warner threatened in the bottom of the fifth, putting runners on first and second with just one out but Meyer induced a ground ball double play by Dylan Gross to end the inning and escape the jam.

The Bruins added some insurance in the top of the sixth with the help of some small ball. De La Rosa led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a sac bunt by junior right fielder Colton Nash (Bonney Lake, Wash.) and scored after a pair of wild pitches. After freshman DH Dan Greco (Papillion, Neb.) reached on a two-base error and advanced to third on a wild pitch, sophomore first baseman Todd Nicks (Bakersfield, Calif.) singled to third to drive in Greco for a 4-0 BU lead.

The Royals scratched out an unearned run in the bottom half of the seventh. George Kirkland reached on a throwing error to lead off the inning and Chris Mejia came in to pinch run. Kevin Gregg singled through the left side to put runners at first and second. Both runners advanced on a sac bunt by Chase Coon and Mejia scored on a groundout by Anthony Dovale.

Junior Leland Tilley (Exeter, Calif.) worked two perfect innings, striking out four, to record his first save of the season.

With his fifth straight multi-hit game, Gonzalez (4-5) is now batting a team-best .459 on the season and is now 12-21 (.571) in his last five games. Nicks (2-4) and Blood (2-3) both joined Gonzalez with multi-hit games of their own.

Bellevue returns to action on Thursday, Mar. 5 at the Warner Classic in Lake Wales, Fla. where the Bruins will take on Siena Heights at 12:30 am and Bethel (Ind.) at 3:30 p.m.