Bruins sweep Northwestern in Friday DH matinee

BELLEVUE, Neb. - The Bellevue University softball team swept a double-header against Northwestern College on Friday afternoon in non-conference action at the Lied Center. The Bruins won the first game 4-3 and took the second 7-1.

With the victories Bellevue improves to 10-7-1 on the season while Northwestern now stands at 7-9.

Game One: Bellevue 4, Northwestern 3

For the second time in three games senior Shelby Kindelin delivered the walk-off RBI as Bellevue defeated Northwestern 4-3. Kindelin, batting with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, hit a tapper just in front of the plate that the Northwestern catcher picked up and threw to third after missing tagging the plate for the force out.

Sophomore Kelli Fisher followed up her career-high 10 strikeout effort from Wednesday by striking out 11 to establish a new career-best as over six innings. Senior Ashley Gigax hit a pair of home runs to provide half of the Bruin offense on the afternoon.

Gigax started a two-out rally with her team-leading fourth home run of the season, doing a great job of keeping her hands back and driving it over the opposite field fence. The Bruins doubled their advantage in the bottom of the second when freshman Michaela Miller scored on a wild pitch with two away.

Gigax continued her power display in the third with another solo home run, this time with one out on a high fly ball over the center field fence.

The Red Raiders grabbed one run back in the top of the fifth. Laura Hurley pounded a one-out double off the base of the center field fence, one of the few mistakes in the game by Fisher, to put a runner in scoring position. Jessica Rayela followed that up with a swinging bunt to third, putting runners on the corners with just one out. Rayela was caught stealing second but pinch runner Kensy Vande Hoef came in to score from third on the throw.

Kourtni Robinson led off the seventh with a double off the left field fence and pinch-runner Amanda Everhart came in to score a batter later on Kara Nonnemacher's RBI-single to left to cut the Bruin lead in half at 3-2. Nonnemacher stole second and advance to third on a passed ball during the ensuing at-bat to put the tying run just 60 feet away. Brianna Petrauskas then delivered a single through the right side to knot the score at 3-3 prompting a pitching change by the Bruins. Senior reliever Taylor Mohler closed out the inning and escaped damage by getting Clare Ipema to strike out swinging with runners on second and third.

Sophomore Courtney Schendt led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to left before giving way to freshman pinch-runner Sarah Zeleny. Zeleny caught the defense napping and Miller provided a great swing through allowing Zeleny to move herself into scoring position with a stolen base. Miller took advantage of a slip by the defense and ended up singling on her sac bunt attempt to put runners on the corners with no outs. Freshman Emily Gigax was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the Bruins and set up Kindelin's heroics.

Mohler picked up the win in relief to improve to 5-4 on the year.

Game Two: Bellevue 7, Northwestern 1

The Red Raiders scored first but Bellevue scored more and Taylor Mohler collected her second victory of the afternoon, 7-1, over Northwestern. Mohler improved to 6-4 with the victory, working seven innings and striking out seven while scattering five hits and one run.

Northwestern saw the first scoring chance of the ball game in the top of the second and capitalized on the opportunity. Kourtni Robinson doubled to deep left to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a wild pitch before a walk to Brianna Petrauskas who stole second on an 0-1 pitch. Another deep fly to left, this time by Laura Hurley was deep enough for a sac fly to score Robinson.

The Bruins got that one back in the bottom of the inning. Emily Gigax powered a one-out double to the base of the wall in right center and came in to score on a single up the middle by Courtney Schendt.

Bellevue took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman Sayde Woten led off the inning by coaxing a walk out of Northwestern starter Kayla Tindall before Emily Gigax clubbed her second double of the game to right center to put two in scoring position with nobody out. Freshman Kendall Hendrix then hit a fly ball to center field to chase home Woten from third with the go-ahead run.

The Bruins added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. Ashley Gigax and freshman Alex Tooley drew back-to-back two-out walks before Woten drove a double to center field. Gigax scored on the play but Tooley stumbled coming home and was thrown out at the plate.

An inning later Bellevue solidified their lead with a pair of runs courtesy of a pinch-hit RBI-double by freshman Kristine Kimberley and a sac fly by Shelby Kindelin. The big blow came courtesy of a two-out, two-run single to left by Ashley Gigax that gave BU a 7-1 lead.

Additional Schedule Changes:

Prior to the game Bellevue coach Michala Cimino announced additional schedule changes. Instead of travelling to Springfield, Mo. tomorrow to compete in the Evangel Tournament Bellevue will now play a double-header at Northwestern starting at 1:00 p.m. The Bruins' double-header scheduled for Tuesday at Northwestern will no longer be played.