Bruins complete series sweep over Presentation

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
NSAA Standings

ABERDEEN, S.D. -- The Bellevue University softball team completed its four-game series sweep at Presentation College Saturday afternoon in North Star Athletic Association action, downing the Saints, 7-2 and 16-7. Three of the four games in the series ended in five innings.

BU outscored the Saints, 50-15, in the four games. 

With the sweep, the Bruins improved to 31-18 on the season and 17-7 in the NSAA. The Saints dropped to 7-28 overall and 6-17 in league play.  

The Bruins will host Waldorf University on Saturday-Sunday, May 1-2, in a four-game conference series at Roy Smith Field. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 2:00 p.m. Sunday's twin-bill will commence at noon. On Saturday, the Bruins will honor its two seniors, Emily Mendick and Allison O'Driscoll as well as BU's two seniors from 2020, Brieanna Brock and Randi Henry, whose season was cut short last season due to the Covid pandemic. 

Game 1: Bellevue 7, Presentation 2

Bellevue got pivotal homers in the first and seventh innings as the Bruins earned the 7-2 victory in the opener. 

BU outhit the Saints, 13-6 in the victory. 

The Bruins got off to a quick start with Maricela Egan's three-run homer to right-center field in the top of the first as BU produced five hits in the first frame. 

Egan drove in another run in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Ellie Bliemeister from third to bring the score to 4-0.

The Saints cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double to center field by Skye Carter and on a fielding error by BU right fielder Emily Rochford, making it 4-2. 

Allison O'Driscoll's solo homer to left field pushed the margin to 5-2 in the top of the fifth. 

An RBI single to right-center field by Carter drew the Saints to within two runs at 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

Bellevue got a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh with a two-run homer to center field by Lauren Russell to expand the lead to 7-3. 

Lauren Jurek secured the win allowing just one hit in the bottom of the seventh to improve to 15-7 on the season. Jurek allowed seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts in seven innings of work.  

Game 2: Bellevue 16, Presentation 7 (5 innings)

The Bruins pounded out a season-high 17 hits, including five extra-base hits in the 16-7 victory. Six Bruins had multiple hits in the game. 

Egan went 4-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Russell was 2-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs. Young finished 3-for-5 and O'Driscoll was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.  

Once again, Egan got the Bruins off to a fast start with a two-run homer in the top of the first stanza. 

The Saints answered in the bottom of the first, scoring four runs, highlighted by RBI singles from Carter and Brooke Beaman. 

The Bruins erupted for eight runs in the top of the second, sparked by Emily Rochford's grand slam to deep right-center field giving BU a 10-4 advantage.

A three-run double to right-center field by Russell made it 13-4 in the top of the third inning. 

Presentation got three runs back in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single to center field by Ashleigh Wong and on a two-run single to center by Camille Vestal, cutting the lead to 13-7. 

BU countered in the top of the fifth with three runs of their own, scoring on RBI singles from O'Driscoll and Mya Montero and on an RBI double by Russell, making the final, 16-7. 

Rochford earned the win, improving to 2-4 on the season. She scattered four hits and two walks with one strikeout in the final four innings in the circle.