Bruins go 2-1 in opening day at Spring Games

UNOH Box Score
Cleary Game 1 Box Score
Cleary Game 2 Box Score

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- After dropping the opening game of the day to Northwestern Ohio, the Bellevue University softball team rebounded with a sweep of Cleary University to go 2-1 on the opening day of action at the Spring Games Sunday afternoon in central Florida. 

The Bruins fell to UNOH, 8-2, before notching a pair of impressive victories over Cleary, 10-2 (5 innings) and 7-0.

Bellevue (5-2) returns to action tomorrow in the Spring Games when it battles Bethel (Ind.) at 1:30 p.m. and Siena Heights at 4:00 p.m.

UNOH 8, Bellevue 2

UNOH outhit the Bruins 9-4 and took advantage of four BU errors en route to the 8-2 win over Bellevue in the opener. The Racers had six doubles in the victory. 

The Racers got out of the gate quickly, scoring five runs in the top of the first on three hits and four BU fielding errors. 

The Bruins got two runs back in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly to left field by Madison Machacek that scored Ellie Bliemeister from third and on an RBI single to center field by Ashley Young, cutting the deficit to 5-2. 

Neither team scored again until Eleya Montroy's two-run double to right field gave UNOH a 7-2 advantage in the top of the fifth frame.   

Back-to-back doubles by Grace Jackson and Joey Brinegar gave the Racers an 8-2 lead in the top of the seventh inning. 

Brieanna Brock (0-1) was tagged with the loss after giving up four runs on two hits with three walks in the first inning of the game. 

Aubrey Brunst (2-4) earned the complete-game win, scattering four hits with no walks and six strikeouts in seven innings of work.  

Bellevue 10, Cleary 2

Randi Henry and Ellie Bliemeister each drove in three runs as the Bruins registered 16 hits and used the solid pitching effort of Cory Carrillo to cruise to the 10-2 win over Cleary in five innings. 

Bliemeister finished 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. Henry went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Allison O'Driscoll finished 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs.  

The Bruins erupted for four runs on five hits in the top of the second, ignited by a lead-off solo homer to center field by Henry. BU also scored on a two-run double to left field by Bliemeister and on an RBI triple to right field by Machacek, making it 4-0.  

BU extended the lead to 10-0 in the top of the fifth, scoring six runs on seven hits. Emily Rochford led off the fifth with a solo homer to left field. The Bruins also scored on Henry's two-run single to center field, Bliemeister's RBI double to right an O'Driscoll's two-run single to right field. 

Carrillo improved to 3-0 on the season, allowing four hits with two walks and four strikeouts in five innings in the circle. 

Bellevue 7, Cleary 0

Rochford tossed a three-hit complete-game shutout and the Bruins outhit CU, 10-3, en route to the 7-0 victory in the nightcap. 

Machacek went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, and four RBIs to pace the BU offense. Maricela Egan finished 3-for-3 and drove in a run and Rochford helped her own cause, finishing 2-for-2 with a home run in the victory.  

After a scoreless first three innings, Rochford launched her second home run of the day, a solo shot to center field to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. 

The Bruins made it 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth, scoring on Bliemeister's RBI single to right field, Machacek's run-scoring double to center, and on Egan's line-drive RBI single to center field. 

Machacek's three-run dinger to left field gave the Bruins a 7-0 advantage in the bottom of the fifth frame.  

Rochford (1-1) earned the win, giving up just three hits, with two walks and nine strikeouts in seven complete innings of work.