LAKE WALES, Fla. -- The 17th-ranked Bellevue University baseball team snapped a two-game losing skid with a 9-5 win at Warner University Tuesday afternoon at Royals Field.
The Bruins (7-4-1) will take Wednesday off before beginning action in the Warner University Invitational on Thursday through Saturday. Warner fell to 7-16 on the season.
Kyle Kinman went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and two RBIs to pace the BU offense. Andy Smolinski drove in three runs, going 2-for-4, including a triple.
Ricky Holm (1-0) picked up his first win of the season, allowing seven hits, while striking out nine and walking three in seven innings of work.
The Bruins struck first in the top of the third inning on consecutive triples Kinman and Andy Smolinski. BU added a second run on an error by the Royals' shortstop Sergio Perez that allowed Tanner Moore to score and take a 2-0 advantage.
The Royals responded in the bottom half of the third and tied the game at 2-2 on a passed ball and an RBI single by Brandon Kirby.
BU regained the lead in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Kinman before Dan Smolinski scored on an error to take a 4-2 lead.
The Bruins scored in the fifth on WU's fourth error of the game to extend their lead to 5-2.
Dyan Gross pulled the Royals to within two, 5-3, with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.
After a double by Brian Embery, and a stolen base, he came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Nate Mullins to push the Bruins' lead up to 6-3.
WU answered in the bottom of the seventh on Justin Burgess' RBI single to get to within two runs at 6-4. After the Royals loaded the bases, Holm used an inning-ending double-play to get out of the jam.
Back-to-back RBI doubles by Chad McLaren and Kinman and an RBI single by Andy Smolinski pushed the BU lead to 9-4 in the top of the eighth frame.
The Royals got one run back in the bottom of the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Kirby.
Bruin reliever Michael Kirkland preserved the win in the ninth, allowing just one baserunner in the inning.
