WINFIELD, Kan. -- Builder pitching limited the Bellevue University baseball team to just four runs in Saturday's double-header as Southwestern College completed a three-game weekend sweep of the Bruins at the Broadway Recreation Complex.
Bellevue saw their record slip to 3-7 while Southwestern evened their record at 6-6 on the season.
Game One: SC 9, BU 2
Southwestern scored first times in the first and never trailed as first innings continued to be an issue for Bruin pitching on the weekend. Bellevue was out-scored 6-0 in the opening frame on Saturday and 9-0 for the series.
The Bruins responded with a run in the top of the second on a Zach Diehl sac fly but the Builders regained momentum in the home half of the inning when Sterling Spurling singled home Jason Bray to restore the SC lead to four runs, 5-1.
Alec Lee pulled Bellevue a run closer in the fourth, doubling home Hunter Jury.
A four-run sixth from Southwestern put the game out of reach as the Builders secured the series win.
Jury and Lee were each 2-for-2 with a walk and Josh Benson accounted for the lone additional Bruin hit.
Graham Cahill (0-2) suffered the loss despite allowing just one earned run over four innings of work. However, passed balls and a pair of errors aided the SC offensive efforts.
Tanner Olmstead (1-1) worked six innings of five-hit ball for Southwestern, striking out six without issuing a walk, to earn the win.
Cody Treatch worked around a pair of leadoff walks to record a scoreless seventh to preserve the victory.
Game Two: SC 3, BU 2
The Bruins stranded 15 runners on base in the nightcap, including leaving the bases loaded in third, fourth, and sixth innings.
A sac fly from Angel Velez and an RBI-single off the bat of Donovan McMullen staked the Builders to a 2-0 first inning lead.
The Bruins tied the game with single runs in each the second and fourth innings with RBI singles from both Cody Banks and Alec Lee.
The game remained tied until Southwestern scored on a sixth inning error to take a 3-2 lead.
Brandon Poche came on to work a 1-2-3 seventh to record his first save of the season for Southwestern. Lance Christenberry (1-0) earned the victory for the Builders with a scoreless sixth inning.
Bellevue left multiple runners aboard each of the first six innings. The only inning in which no runners were left aboard was the seventh when the Bruins were retired in order in order.
Lee finished 3-for-4 with a double and Daniel Teasley turned in a 2-for-4 effort at the dish.
Colton Walker (0-1) went the distance on the mound, limiting the Moundbuilders to just three runs on four hits.
Up Next:
Next up for the Bruins is their annual trip to Florida where they will play 10 games in eight days. BU kicks off the trip on Saturday, Feb. 29 with a 4 p.m. tilt against Mount Vernon Nazarene.
