LAKE WALES, Fla. -- Behind complete-game, shutouts from Jarrett Poh and Stephen Knapp the Bellevue University baseball team picked up a pair of 6-0 victories over Spring Arbor University and St. Thomas University on Thursday in the first day of play at the Warner Invitational.
Records:
Bellevue: 7-11
Spring Arbor: 5-13
#10 St. Thomas: 17-5
Game One: Bellevue 6, Spring Arbor 0
Jarrett Poh (1-0) fired a complete-game, five-hit shutout to back BU in the opener for his first win as a Bruin. He struck out four and issued two walks over seven innings as the southpaw limited Spring Arbor to just five hits.
Hunter Jury staked the Bruins to an early lead pushing in a run on when he was hit by a pitch in the first inning with the bases loaded. Cody Banks added a sac fly to make it 2-0 early.
Travis Tanaka doubled the Bellevue lead in the second with a two-run double down the left field line and BU went on to add insurance runs in the fifth – courtesy of an Austin Alexander RBI-groundout – and the seventh on JT Patterson's second home run of the year.
Zachariah Devon (0-2) took the loss for the Cougars after allowing five runs – three earned – on seven hits in 5.0 innings on the hill.
Game Two: Bellevue 6, #10 St. Thomas 0
Stephen Knapp (3-2) followed up Poh's strong outing in the opener with an even better performance in the nightcap. The senior sidewinder went the distance on the bump in recording a four-hit shutout. He struck out four Bobcats and walked just one batter.
Bellevue jumped out to a 4-0 lead after an inning of play in which St. Thomas committed four of their five errors on the game as Cody Banks and Stuart Eurich recorded RBI-singles while Hunter Jury and Austin Alexander brought in runs on Bobcat fielding miscues.
JT Patterson tacked on a run with an RBI-double to center field that plated Kory Longaker in the second and Eurich scored Banks with an RBI-hit in the fifth.
Ian Exposito (5-1) took the loss for St. Thomas despite striking out 10 batters over six innings of work. He was charged with allowing six runs on seven hits.
Up Next:
Bellevue plays two more games in the Warner Invitational tomorrow when they take on Madonna (11:15 a.m.) and Mount Vernon Nazarene (2:45 p.m.) from Lake Wales High School and Royals Field, respectively.
