Bruins need extras to finish off sweep of V-Hawks

OMAHA, Neb. -- The No. 14-ranked Bellevue University baseball team used a five-run eighth inning to break a tie and wrap up a four-game sweep of Viterbo University on Monday afternoon at John Stella Field at Brown Park.

Bellevue runs their win streak to 10 and remain unbeaten at home this season as they improve to 17-4 overall and 4-0 in conference play.

Viterbo, losers of six-straight, falls to 2-17 on the year and 0-4 in league play.

Game One: BU 10, Viterbo 1

Brendan Luther scored on a wild pitch in the first but Bellevue had to wait until a five-run fourth to gain some breathing room.

Tradd Richardson blasted a two-run home run before Jake Lacey delivered a three-run shot later in the frame for a 6-0 Bruin advantage. That was more than enough to back the performance of right-hander Easton Brinton.

After Richardson singled through the hole on the left side, Blake Warner delivered the only real blemish to Brinton's line with a solo shot to left-center in the home half of the sixth.

Anthony Lind answered with a solo home run in the seventh before Nick Grade tanked a long ball of his one to make it a 10-1 ball game.

Brinton (2-1) exited after the seventh having allowed just a pair of hits and three walks while punching out a season-high six.

Jared Eifler came on in relief and struck out a pair in two scoreless innings of relief.

Ben Strassman (0-4) took the loss for the V-Hawks, allowing six runs on nine hits in four innings.

Game Two: BU 10, Viterbo 5 (8 Innings)

The series finale was a back and forth affair that saw Bellevue strike first in the third. After Viterbo tied the game, S Hans doubled home a pair of runs when Anthony Lind was unable to come up with a diving catch later in the inning.

Eric Anderson delivered a two-run shot in the fourth to tie the game at 3-3 before Hunter Hess moved the V-Hawks back in front with a sac fly in the fifth.

Tradd Richardson re-tied the game with a one-out, solo homer in the sixth and Kanta Kobayashi put the Bruins in front when he singled home pinch-runner Takumi Maeno who had stolen second earlier in the at-bat.

Chad Herrera singled home Ryan Mesa as the first three runners of the bottom of the sixth each reached for Viterbo.

Bellevue received two-out singles from Lind and Nick Grade in the seventh but were unable to cash in.

Parker McMan worked a 1-2-3 seventh to bring the Bruin bats back to the dish.

Six of the first seven Bruin batters reached in the eighth with Brendan Luther giving the Bruins a 6-5 lead with a single up the middle. Logan Grant drove in another with a base hit to right-center and Lind drove home a pair with a base knock to left. Following a pitching change, pinch-runner Aaron Garner scored when Dominic LaBlanc was called for a balk to see BU double-up Viterbo, 10-5.

McMan worked a perfect eighth as the Bruins held on to secure the win.

Dustin Schorie threw a bit better than his final line indicated before hitting a wall in the sixth. Three of the five runs he allowed over five innings were earning. He struck out six and walked two while scattering seven hits.

Anthony Sanchez kept Bellevue off-balance until a two-run sixth saw the Bruins grab a 5-4 lead. Sanchez allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits in six innings of work.

McMan (2-0) allowed an inherited runner to score in the sixth before working three scoreless innings of two-hit ball, striking out five to pick up the win in relief.

Alec Danen (0-2) took the loss, being charged with allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits and a pair of walks in 1.1 innings.

Up Next:

Bellevue will host Valley City State University next weekend with game times and venues to be announced in the coming days.