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SHAWNEE, Okla. -- The Bellevue University baseball team defeated Bacone College, 2-1, to fend off elimination Wednesday night in the NAIA Opening Round at Bison Field at Ford Park.
Bellevue (39-16-2) advances to the championship game tomorrow at noon against No. 1 Oklahoma Baptist University.
Bacone, the fifth seed in the Shawnee Bracket, ends its season with a 36-20 record.
Kyle Kinman and Galli Cribbs both collected two hits to lead the Bruin offense that registered 10 hits.
The Warriors struck first using back-to-back extra-base hits to take a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Peter Rodriguez tripled and Jean Ortiz followed with an RBI double.
BU took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth, scoring on a solo home run by Kinman and a Nate Mullins sacrifice fly that scored Charlie Krueger who tripled.
Brennan Henry improved to 9-3 after allowing just one run on five hits with five walks and a strikeout in 6.2 innings. Steve Sarcone pitched the final 2.1 innings to earn his fourth save of the season. He struck out three batters and gave up just one hit.
Lucas Jones (1-1) took the loss and gave up two runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in 7.1 innings for BC.
Bellevue is now 6-9 all-time in the NAIA Opening Round since the format was adopted in 2009.
NAIA Championship Opening Round - Shawnee Bracket
Shawnee, Okla. | Bison Field at Ford Park
Monday, May 12
Game 1: Bacone def. Friends, 5-2
Tuesday, May 13
Game 2: Bellevue def. Northwestern (Iowa), 2-1
Game 3: Oklahoma Baptist def. Bacone, 10-3
Game 4: Northwestern (Iowa) def. Friends, 12-5
Wednesday, May 14
Game 5: Oklahoma Baptist def. Bellevue, 4-0
Game 6: Bacone def. Northwestern (Iowa), 2-0
Game 7: Bellevue def. Bacone, 2-1
Thursday, May 15 (Championship)
Game 8: Oklahoma Baptist vs. Bellevue, noon
Game 9: if necessary, 3 p.m.
