Bruins go 2-1 in second day of Morningside Tourney

SIOUX CITY, Iowa --The Bellevue University softball team won two of three games Saturday in the Morningside College Invitational at the SYA Complex. The Bruins started the day with a 4-2 loss to the host school Morningside, before rebounding with a 9-3 win over Valley City State and a 6-5 victory against Briar Cliff.

The Bruins are now 11-8 on the season and will open the conference and home portion of the season on Wednesday, Mar. 31 with a 3 p.m. doubleheader against College of St. Mary at Haworth Park.

Morningside 4, Bellevue 2
Bellevue.........002 000 0 - 2 8 0
Morningside..000 022 x - 4 6 0
WP - Baumert (7-2); LP - Markley (2-1)
2B: MC - Wassom
3B: MC - Burke

Highlights: Morningside rallied in the late innings to extend its winning streak to nine games. The Mustangs staged two-run innings in the fifth and sixth innings to improve to 14-3 on the season.

Bellevue scored first when Kendra Gansz delivered a two-out, two-run single in the top of the third inning. The Mustangs tied the score with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Morningside scored their first run when Emily Wassom walked and came home off Brandi Burke's triple. Allison Von Ehwegen then singled to plate Burke with the tying run.

The Mustangs parlayed three hits into a two-run sixth inning to take the lead when singles by Kyle Helmink and Erin Bohlmann set the stage for Emily Wassom, who delivered a RBI double, and Alisha Wheat, who brought home a run with a sacrifice bunt.

Kelly Baumert pitched two innings of scoreless relief to get the win. Baumert allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out two. Mustang starter Morgan Swanson allowed two runs on seven hits over the first five innings. Allison Von Ehwegen had two hits for the Mustangs.

Jessica Guyle and Kim Wees each had two hits for Bellevue.

Bellevue 9, Valley City State 3
Valley City St....210 000 0 - 3 5 2
Bellevue............010 422 x - 9 10 1
WP - Crumley (4-2)
 
Highlights: Trailing 3-0 in the top of the second, the Bruins scored nine unanswered runs en route to the 9-3 win over the Vikings.

Allie Bartley had three hits and Jessica Guyle, Kim Wees, Nikki Sedlak, and Kendra Gansz each had two hits for Bellevue. Paige Smith and Lacey Hauser each had three hits for Valley City State.

Alissa Crumley got the win, improving to 4-2 on the year.

Bellevue 6, Briar Cliff 5
Briar Cliff....010 103 0 - 5 11 2
Bellevue.....022 101 x - 6 9 2
WP: Markley (3-1); LP: Cruz (3-2)
2B: BU - Gawart, Wees; BC - Kruckenberg
3B: BC - Horton 2
HR: BU - Erwin 2

Highlights: Kara Erwin slugged two home runs and had three RBIs to lead Bellevue. The Bruins' Jessica Guyle and Jenny Gawart also contributed two hits to the Bruins' attack. Jessica Horton had three hits for Briar Cliff, including a pair of triples, and Jennifer Kruckenberg collected a double and single.

Briar Cliff took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Tana Colt hit a two-out single to drive in Bailey Huls, who had walked earlier in the inning.

The Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on a two-run home run by Erwin. Bellevue padded its lead to 4-1 in the third inning when Kim Wees doubled and scored on a single by Kendra Gansz, who eventually scored after a Briar Cliff error.

Briar Cliff closed within 4-2 in the fourth inning when Huls singled and rounded the bases on a triple by Horton.

Erwin blasted her second home run of the game to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning to put the Bruins up 5-2. The Chargers struck for four hits and came up with three runs to tie the score at 5-5 in the top of the sixth, highlighted by another RBI triple by Horton and a RBI double by Kruckenberg.

Bellevue scored what proved to be the game-winner in the bottom of the sixth inning when Erwin walked and came home on a single by Jessica Guyle.