Bruins down Midland 12-3 to open new home ballfield

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Playing the first-ever game at the new Renner Dennis Outdoor Athletic Complex, the No. 4-ranked Bellevue University baseball team jumped all over Midland University early en route to a 12-3 victory on Tuesday afternoon.

Bellevue has now won 11-straight and 22 of 23 overall to improve to 23-3 on the season. The loss snapped a three-game win streak for Midland, who entered having won six of seven, as the Warriors drop to 11-17 on the season.

Bellevue 12, Midland 3

Leadoff batter Nick Gravel reached base in all five plate appearance, going 4-for-4 and scoring four runs. He drew a walk leading off the first inning and came around to score on Carter Claerhout's ninth home run of the season as Bellevue jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

Bellevue added two more in the first before Owen Clover bopped a solo home run for Midland in leading off the second.

The Bruins responded with a five-run second. Claerhout doubled in a run ahead of a three-run home run from Dylan Holmes, his sixth long ball of the year. Riley Schrader made it back-to-back blasts with his first of the year as the BU lead grew to 9-1.

A sac fly from Ayden Makarus in the fifth grew the lead to 12-1 but Midland chased in a run each in the sixth and seventh to avoid the run-rul.

Brady Baltus (6-1) earned the win as the predetermined starter, allowing a run on three hits over three innings of work.

Trent Patzel (0-1) took the loss for Midland, allowing four runs on two, hits, a walk, and two hit batters while recording just one out in his first start.

Five Bruin relievers – Garrett White, Jackson Polk, Heath Hachkowski, Lucas Mahoney, and Cannon Close – combined on six innings of relief work allowing just one earned run.

Inside the Numbers:

• Carter Claerhout's first inning home run represented the first-ever hit, home run, and RBI in RDOAC history
• Nick Gravel scored the first-ever run on Claerhout's blast
• Bellevue hit .421 (14-33) with runners on and went .500 (3-6) with runners in scoring position while Midland was .222 (4-18) with runners on and just .214 (3-14) with RISP

Top Performers

Bellevue University

Nick Gravel – 4-4, 4 runs, walk
Carter Claerhout – 3-5, HR (9), double, 3 RBI, 2 runs
Dylan Holmes – 2-4, HR (6), 3 RBI, run, walk
Oak Held: - 2-4, RBI, run

Midland University

Brody Boyle – 2-5
Jax Sorensen – 2-3, double, RBI, run
Owen Glover – 1-4, solo HR (5)

Up Next:

Bellevue returns home this weekend to host Valley City State University (14-11/1-3 FC) in a four-game Frontier Conference series. First pitch of the double headers are slated for 1 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 27 and noon on Saturday, Mar. 28.