Elsner's fireworks power BU to DH split against #7 Warriors

BABSON PARK, Fla. -- The Bellevue University baseball team picked up their first win over No. 7-ranked Webber International University since 2020 on Friday afternoon in a double-header split with the Warriors.

The Bruins took a 15-1 run-rule victory in the opener before falling 10-0 in seven innings in the series finale.

Bellevue moves to 8-8 on the season while Webber International stands at 19-3. BU's win in Friday's opener snapped a nine-game win streak for the Warriors.

Game One: BU 15, #7 WIU 1 (7 Innings)

Steven Elsner homered twice and drove in seven runs in a 3-for-5 performance as the team racked up 17 hits en route to a 15-1 victory.

Elsner wasted no time putting BU on the board. Jake Lacey was hit by a pitch leading off the game and came around to score on Elsner's opposite field shot, his first long ball of the game. After two quick outs, Scott Hansen singled home Anthony Lind with a flare to right.

Elijah Tanner scored on a passed ball in the second for a four-run advantage, though Webber got that run back courtesy of a Nick Cannizzaro sac fly in the home half of the frame.

The score remained 4-1 until the sixth when Bellevue exploded for an 11-run inning all coming against Diego Quinonez who didn't make it out of the inning. It was the most runs scored by the Bruins in an inning against a top 25 team since BU scored 12 in the third inning of an 18-10 win over Concordia in 2023 season-opener.

Nick Gravel and Lacey drove in runs in the sixth to stretch the BU lead to 6-1. With the bases loaded and _ out, Elsner blasted his second four-bagger of the game – and fifth of the season – out to left center for a 10-1 lead. Bellevue tacked on five more in the frame.

Kenji Miller (3-0) worked six innings of three-hit ball, limiting the Warriors to just one run and striking out five to earn the victory.

Brady Toth worked a scoreless seventh to nail down the run-rule victory.

Dalton Robinson (4-2) took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits across five innings. He struck out four and walked two.

Tanner and CJ Townsend joined Elsner with three-hit games apiece. Anthony Lind and Hansen each finished with a pair of hits. Tanner and Ayden Makarus both had doubles, accounting for the other extra-base hits.

Bellevue's 15 runs were the most scored against a top 10 team since the Bruins put up 15 against #4 Oklahoma City in a 15-3 win back on Feb. 16, 2013.

Game Two: WIU 10, BU 0 (7 Innings)

Webber jumped out to 6-0 lead, tagging Kody Butt (1-3) – who suffered the loss – with five runs in 0.2 innings of relief and adding another off Asantay Wilson in the frame.

The Bruins threatened in the top of the second putting runners on the corners with two outs but Rafael Nakandakari flew out to end the threat.

After Wilson got out of the second, he combined with two other Bruni relievers to give up just three hits over the next four innings, but the damage was done.

Mark Link (2-0) scattered five hits over five innings and struck out three before handing the ball off to Julian Balzer who limited BU to just one hit the rest of the way.

The Webber offense put up four more runs in the seventh to walk off with a run-rule win of their own. Pinch-hitter Mike Cuello drove home a run with a ground ball and Gabriel Cruz singled home a pair before coming to score the game-ending run on a wild pitch.

BU's best scoring chance came in the fourth when CJ Townsend doubled to put runners on second and third with one out. Elijah Tanner was gunned down at home on a fielder's choice and Jake Lacey flew out to end the frame.

Tanner finished 2-for-3 as the only Bruin to put up a multi-hit game. Steven Elsner, Logan Grant, and Townsend all doubled in the loss.

Up Next:

Bellevue concludes their Florida trip with a 5-2 record to improve to 8-8. They next play a three-game set at Mid-America Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan., beginning with a 2 p.m. first pitch on Friday, Mar. 14 in the series opener. The series concludes on Saturday with a double-header, slated for a noon start from Robbie Jones Field at Dixon Stadium.