Bruins clinch sixth-straight outright NSAA crown

OMAHA, Neb. -- Anthony Lind's walk-off squeeze in extra innings in game one gave the No. 24 Bellevue University baseball team its sixth-straight outright North Star Athletic Association regular season championship and set the tone for the day as the Bruins swept second place University of Jamestown in an NSAA double-header.

The Bruins improve to 34-13 overall and 17-1 in conference play, taking a six-game lead over the second place Jimmies who fall to 32-14 on the year and 11-7 in NSAA play.

Game One: BU 2, UJ 1 (10 Innings)

Bellevue won a tight pitcher's duel in the opener behind the right arm of Parker McMan who limited Jamestown to a run on eight hits and struck out six in nine innings of work.

Brayden Anderson (3-0) worked around a two-out single to pitch a scoreless 10^th to pick up the victory in relief.

Bellevue loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 10^th. Jake Lacey led got the rally started with a single up the middle before consecutive walks to Ayden Makarus and Elijah Tanner loaded the bags for Anthony Lind.

Jamestown went to the bullpen to bring on Elias Petty. Lind laid down a textbook bunt on the second pitch from the Jimmie reliever to allow Lacey to score from third with the game-winning run.

Ben Bohlmann (2-2) took the for Jamestown despite 3.2 innings of quality relief work in which he struck out six and the single to Lacey was the lone hit he allowed.

Jamestown struck in the opening half inning on Jordan Singleton's opposite field single. The Jimmies got back-to-back hits to open the game. After a strikeout and Chase Burke being thrown out stealing third, it looked like BU would escape the inning unharmed before Singleton slapped a single the other way.

Logan Grant tied the game for the Bruins in the third with an opposite field single of his own. Bellevue threated for more but left the bases loaded and neither team would score again until the 10^th.

After allowing five hits over the first two innings, McMan surrendered just three more before turning the ball over to Andersen.

Jimmie starter Avery Liestman scattered five hits across 5.2 innings before departing.

Game Two: BU 8, UJ 3

Ayden Makarus jump-started the Bruin offense in game two with a three-run home run in the first, his first of two long balls on the day, as he tallied a 3-for-3 game with all of his hits going for extra-bases, four RBI and three, runs scored.

Jace Wessels (5-0) fired a complete game on the hill. He allowed three runs – two earned – on six hits, struck out four, and issued one walk.

Luke Zimmer (6-4) wore the loss for UJ, allowing five earned runs (six total) on six hits in 4.1 innings of work.

Jamestown scratched a run back in the fourth on a throwing error to make it a 3-1 game.

Elijah Tanner quickly quelled any momentum with his third home run of the year in the bottom half of the fourth, a two-run wall-scraper.

An RBI-single from Steven Elsner in the fifth made it a 6-1 Bruin advantage.

Tristen Madison delivered a two-run single for the Jimmies in the sixth.

Makarus hit a towering home run over the center field leading off the bottom of the sixth for his 13^th long ball of the year and Nick Gravel dropped down a successful squeeze to plate Elijah Tanner to account for the final score.

Up Next:

Bellevue and Jamestown close out the regular season tomorrow with a noon double-header from John Stella Field at Brown Park.