Top-seeded Drovers stroll past Bruins, 15-5

Matt Evans was 1-for-2 with a two-run triple against USAO on Monday evening
Matt Evans was 1-for-2 with a two-run triple against USAO on Monday evening

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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Bruin pitchers issued 14 free passes and allowed 11 hits as the 4th-seeded Bellevue University baseball team fell to top-seeded University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma 15-5 in game three of the 2018 NAIA Opening Round Bowling Green Bracket, hosted by Campbellsville University and the Bowling Green Convention and Visitors Bureau at BG Ballpark.

Science & Arts improves to 46-6 with the win and advances to tomorrow's Winner's Bracket Championship Game against 3rd-seeded Reinhardt. First pitch is set for 10 a.m.

With the loss Bellevue drops to 38-22 and falls into the Loser's Bracket. The Bruins will face the winner of 2nd-seeded Campbellsville and 5th-seeded Midland in an elimination game tomorrow at 2 p.m.

#8 Science & Arts 15, (RV) Bellevue 5

Bellevue pitchers issued 14 free passes and allowed 11 hits as the Bruins dropped to the Loser's Bracket with a 15-5 loss to Science & Arts on Monday evening.

USAO jumped on the board early with two runs in the first. The first three USAO batters reached including Kenniel Rivera, who plated the first run with an RBI-double, and Greg Barnette chased in another run with a sac fly.

The Drovers added a pair of runs in the fourth on a two-run double from P.J. Garcia, a wild pitch, and an error in the inning.

Matt Evans put Bellevue on the board with a two-run triple in the fifth. Austin Alexander and Travis Tanaka led off the frame with back-to-back triples before coming around to score on Evans' shot down the right field line. Evans came in to score a batter later on Kory Longaker's sac fly as BU cut the lead to 6-3.

USAO got two back in the bottom half with another two-run hit from Garcia, this time a single to right, to put the Drovers up 8-3.

An RBI-single from Alex Sanchez in the sixth pushed the lead to 9-3 for Science & Arts.

Kory Longaker doubled home Brandon Salmon in the seventh as Bellevue got a run back before the Drovers effectively put the game to bed with a three-run seventh inning.

The eighth inning played out the same way with BU scratching across a run in the top half and USAO pushing across three in the bottom.

Dylan Thorp (7-4) suffered the loss for the Bruins, getting chased after just three innings of work.

Francis Ventura (10-0) earned the win for USAO with seven effective innings for the Drovers. He struck out eight while allowing four runs on seven hits.