Posted: May 04, 2011
Tournament Website
YORK, Neb. -- Senior Francisco Rosario blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 7-7 tie as the second-seeded Bellevue University baseball team escaped with a 9-7 win over third-seeded Peru State College in opening round action Thursday in the 2011 MCAC Baseball Tournament hosted by York College.
The Bruins (29-19) will play at 5 p.m. tonight against the winner of today's second game between top-seeded York College and fourth-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan.
Rosario, Anthony Bazant, and Tylor Pavel drove in two runs apiece to pace the Bellevue offense.
Peru State raced out to an early 3-0 in the top of the first inning after scoring a pair of runs on two Bruin fielding errors and a ground out RBI by Alejandro Gonzalez.
Bellevue answered with a two-run double by Bazant in the bottom of the first. Pavel drove in Bazant with a single to left field to tie the game at 3-3.
Peru regained the lead in the second, scoring on a BU throwing error and a sacrifice fly to right field by Matt Martin that scored Brandon Gentry to give the Bobcats a 5-3 advantage.
An RBI single by Jonathan Castillo extended the PSC lead to 6-3 to in the third inning. BU responded in the bottom of the third with an RBI single up the middle by Pavel and a ground out RBI by Juan Rodriguez to cut the deficit to 6-5.
After a double to deep left field by Castillo, the Bobcats made it 7-5 in the fifth on an RBI single by Gentry.
A Rodriguez single to right field plated Rosario in the bottom of the fifth to bring BU to within one run at 7-6. A bases-loaded sacrifice bunt squeeze by Jacob LaCelle scored Pavel from third to tie the game at 7-7.
The two-run homer by Rosario gave the Bruins their first lead of the contest at 9-7 in the bottom of the sixth inning and Bruin reliever Robert Greco shut down the Peru lineup to secure the opening round win.
Greco (2-3) picked up the win after relieving starter Eric Locke. He did not allow a hit in 4.1 innings of work while striking out four and walking one.
Line Score
Peru State...320 010 000 - 7 10 1
Bellevue......302 022 00x - 9 13 4
WP: Greco (2-3)
LP: Scott (5-5)
2B: BU - Bazant; PS - Castillo
HR: BU - Rosario
