FOREST CITY, Iowa -- Bruin batters totaled nine home runs and 17 extra-base hits in scoring 34 more runs as the No. 10-ranked Bellevue University baseball team finished off a four-game sweep of Waldorf University. The Bruins won game three 20-1 in a run-rule shortened seven inning affair before prevailing 14-8 in the finale to secure the sweep.
Bellevue scored 65 runs on the weekend, the program's second most in a single series, to improve to 29-8 overall and 15-0 in NSAA play. Waldorf falls to 7-24 on the year and 6-10 in league action.
The Bruins have now scored 136 runs in their last two series played at Waldorf, having put up 71 runs against the Warriors back in 2019.
Game One: BU 20, Waldorf 1 (7 Innings)
Bellevue clubbed seven home runs to back another strong start from Blake Crippen to secure the series victory over the Warriors.
Conner Barnett put the Bruins on the board in the top of the third with a sac fly to chase home Andrew Ishii.
With the score still 1-0 in the fifth, Alec Ackerman launched his team-leading 11th home run of the season.
One frame later, Brenton Davis led off with a solo shot to push the BU lead to 4-0. A subsequent walk, followed by an Alex Stufft double, chased Waldorf starter Matthew Tran after five-plus. The Bruins added 15 more in the inning highlighted by home runs from Barnett, Zach Diehl, Josh Vaughan, and Ackerman to seize control of the game, 19-0.
After Waldorf got a run back on a wild pitch, Drew Staley added a solo home run in the seventh for a 20-1 lead.
Tran (1-1) finished with a final line of six runs allowed on eight hits and walking three.
Crippen (7-2) earned the win with five shutout innings of work in which he struck out six and scattered four hits.
Nate Smith and Easton Brinton worked the final two innings to polish of the 20-1 victory.
Bellevue struck first in the opening frame, scoring twice on singles from Conner Barnett and Alex Stufft to snag an early 2-0 lead.
Waldorf responded with a three-spot in the bottom of the inning, featuring a two-run single by J Hook.
The Bruins quickly turned the game around with a seven-run second inning that saw Mathieu Sirois and Zach Diehl each go deep for a 9-3 Bruin advantage.
Waldorf chipped away, cutting the deficit to just two runs, 10-8, following a four-run fifth inning. The Warriors threatened for more but BU reliever Cade Sakamoto, entering with the bases loaded, induced a fly ball to end the frame.
BU tacked on a pair of runs in both the sixth and seventh innings, including a pair of bases loaded walks in the latter frame to restore their lead to six, 14-8.
McGrane Pledger (5-3) took the win despite allowing seven earned runs – eight total – on eight hits in 4.2 innings. He struck five and walked three. Sakamoto recorded his first save of the year with 2.1 innings of scoreless relief work, including the game-ending double play with the bases loaded.
Warrior starter Sam Jones (1-4) took the loss, allowing 10 runs on nine hits and a pair of walks over four innings. He struck out five.
Bellevue hosts Morningside University (18-11/5-9 GPAC) on Tuesday, Apr. 12 with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from John Stella Field at Brown Park.
