BU sweeps DH with Chargers, secures series win

SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- CJ Townsend and Steven Elsner each homered and drove in five runs on the day to help lead the No. 7 Bellevue University baseball team to a double-header sweep of Briar Cliff University on Saturday afternoon.

BU took the opener 15-0 and squeaked out a 7-4 win in the nightcap. By securing their first series win of the season, Bellevue evened their record at 6-6 while Briar Cliff slid to 4-4.

The Bruins aim for a sweep of the Chargers when the teams wrap up their three-game set tomorrow with first pitch slated for noon.

Game One: BU 15, Briar Cliff 0

Bellevue pounded out 15 runs on 12 hits to back a complete game, three-hit shutout by starter Dustin Schorie.

CJ Townsend put the Bruins on the board in the second with a successful squeeze to score Tyler Monroe from third. Jake Lacey doubled the lead with an RBI-single later in the inning to plate Townsend, providing more than enough run support for Schorie.

Schorie (2-0) retired the first eight batters he faced before issuing a walk to Damon Schmid. He carried a no-hitter into the fourth and struck out three in an efficient 85-pitch outing.

Steven Elsner went 3-for-4 with a homer and drove in four runs in the ballgame. His RBI-double in the second stretched the lead to 3-0 while his 3-run home run in the seventh provided the penultimate scoring play in the ballgame.

The Bruins also received multi-hit games from Lacey (2-4, 3 RBI) and Logan Grant (2-2, 2B, RBI). Townsend drove in three runs and Tradd Richardson knocked in a pair.

Jared Sitzmann (2-3) accounted for two of BCU's three hits with Walker Moore providing the lone extra-base hit, a fourth inning double.

Bellevue touched up Cade Nelson (0-2) for five runs on six hits and four walks in four innings, saddling the right-hander with the loss. Three relievers covered the final three innings, allowing 10 runs on six hits and issuing seven walks.

Game Two: BU 7, Briar Cliff 4

Damon Schmid doubled home Evan Cone in the second for BCU's first run of the afternoon.

CJ Townsend answered for Bellevue, blasting his first home run of the season in the top of the third.

Neither team scored again until the sixth as left-hander Blake Crippen worked 5.2 solid innings in his fourth start of the year. He scattered a pair of runs on five hits and struck out four, departing with the score tied 2-2.

Matthew Hmielewski singled home the tying run for the Chargers to chase Crippen and back Carter Schorg's quality start. Schorg struck out five against four walks while limiting BU to two runs on two hits.

Walker Moore put Briar Cliff in front in the seventh, singling home Schmid for a 3-2 advantage.

Bellevue again answered, scoring a pair in the eighth. Tyler Monroe plated Logan Grant with a fielder's choice and Gage Juhlin came around to score on a wild pitch later in the inning.

Cam Riemer tied things up as he led off the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run.

Logan Borboa (1-1) surrendered five unearned runs on two hits over three innings out of the bullpen. His defense did him no favors, committing three errors over the final two innings while he fired three wild pitches.

The miscues proved exceptionally costly in the ninth with Nicholas Johnstone striking out but reaching on a wild pitch to open the frame. A base hit from Lacey ahead of Bryce Zimmerer reaching on an error to give Bellevue a 5-4 lead. Lacey scored on a wild pitch and, two batters later, Steven Elsner's fielder's choice brought home Zimmerer.

Cade Herrmann struck out a pair in a 1-2-3 ninth to lock down his third save of the season.

Brady Toth (1-2) earned the win in relief, earning the win allowing two runs on four hits in 2.1 innings.