Bruins come up short in pair of nail-biters

CHICKASHA, Okla. -- Balas Buckmaster and Logan Grant each homered in both ends of Friday's double-header but the No. 15 Bellevue University baseball team dropped a pair of games at (RV) University of Science & Arts.

USAO won the opener 9-8 in 10 innings before prevailing 7-5 in game two. The Drovers improve to 8-5 with the victories while Bellevue dips to 1-5 on the season.

Game One: USAO 9, BU 8 (10 Innings)

Logan Grant capped a four-run ninth to force extra innings with a two-run home run.

In the home half of the tenth Gunnar Hansen delivered a two-out single to chase home Corey Morro from third. Morro and Christopher Martinez each reached to open the frame but Teron Williams looked poised to escape damage after getting a strikeout and flyout and runners were on the corners for Hansen.

Bellevue jumped out to a 3-0 lead, scoring on an error in the first and RBI-doubles from Jake Lacey and Balas Buckmaster in the third and fourth, respectively.

Science & Arts tied the game with a D Alvarez single in the fourth and two-run homer from Ben Bach in the fifth.

After Buckmaster put the Bruins back in front with a solo shot in the sixth, the Drovers scored the next four runs to take and 8-4 lead.

Scott Hansen singled home a pair of runs and Grant belted his second home run of the year to tie things up with nobody out in the ninth.

Neither starter factored in the decision with Parker McMan allowing three runs on six hits over 4.1 innings. He struck out three and walked three.

Just two of the four runs allowed by Brian Ereu were earned as he struck out five and scattered five hits across six innings.

Rob Schmidt (1-0) worked two innings of relief, retiring six-straight after the homer from Grant.

Williams (0-2) took the loss in 1.2 innings out of the bullpen.

Lacey finished 3-for-5 for the Bruins while Hansen and Buckmaster also posted multi-hit games.

Game Two: USAO 7, BU 5

Christopher Martinez belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to break a 5-5 tie and secure a series win for the Drovers.

Logan Grant staked the Bruins to an early lead with his third long ball of the season, a solo shot and Elijah Tanner scored on a double play ball an inning later to double the advantage.

USAO erased the early deficit with a three-run second sparked by a leadoff home run from Ben Bach.

Balas Buckmaster's second home run of the day tied Bellevue up at 3-all in the fourth but runs in the bottom half of the next two innings saw the Drovers grab a 5-3 lead.

CJ Townsend came through with a two-run single in the sixth to tie the game before a fast response in the bottom half of the inning.

Corey Morro singled up the middle ahead of Martinez's two-run blast.

Julian Pokorny (Save, 1) worked around a one-out double in the seventh to nail down the save.

Brady Toth (0-1) took the loss in relief for Bellevue while Megumi Fukuda (1-0) earned the win out of the USAO bullpen.

Nolan Walther finished 3-for-3 in the loss and Buckmaster accounted for the other multi-hit game by the Bruins.

Up Next:

Bellevue and USAO wrap up their three-game set tomorrow with an 11 a.m. first pitch from Bill Smith Ballpark.