OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- The 14th-ranked Bellevue University baseball team opened the 2014 season with a 13-5 loss to MidAmerica Nazarene University (2-1) before falling to fifth-ranked Oklahoma City University, 3-1, in the finale.
The Bruins (0-2) will battle Oklahoma City (2-1) in a single 9-inning game at noon on Sunday (Feb. 16) at Jim Wade Stadium.
MidAmerica Nazarene 13, Bellevue 5
Despite outhitting the Pioneers by three, Bellevue dropped its season-opener, 13-5. The Bruins were plagued by five errors in the game.
Preseason All-American Nate Mullins went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a home run while Kyle Kinman finished with three RBIs. Aaron Brasher, Zack Clark and Joe Mancuso each registered doubles in the loss.
BU struck first on a Kinman sacrifice fly in the top of the first that scored Clark. The Pioneers answered back in the bottom half of the inning with a solo home run by Clayton Brandt.
Kinman and Mullins notched back-to-back RBI singles in the third inning. Kinman also added an RBI in the fifth inning.
MNU scored a pair of runs in the second and third innings before exploding for eight runs on four hits in the fifth, capitalizing on a pair of BU errors to take control of the game, 13-4.
Mullins blasted his 10th career home run in the seventh inning to make the final score, 13-5.
Carlos Vargas earned the win for MNU, recording three strikeouts in six innings of work. Rory Young took the loss for the Bruins.
Oklahoma City 3, Bellevue 1
Fifth-ranked Oklahoma City scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and held the Bruins to four hits as the Stars earned a 3-1 win over Bellevue in the finale.
OCU registered five hits in the first inning, highlighted by an RBI double by Connor Lynch and RBI singles by Forrest Smith and Jared Baker.
The Bruins answered in the top of the second with their lone run after Levi Cartas scored following a balk by OCU starter Chris Pike.
Neither team scored the remainder of the contest as the two teams combined for 23 strikeouts.
Bellevue threatened in the top of the seventh when Mancuso led off the inning with a single up the middle. Pike, however, struck out three-straight Bruins to secure the 3-1 win for the Stars.
Pike (1-0) allowed just four hits while striking out 12 batters to earn the victory. Ricky Holm (0-1) suffered the loss, giving up three runs on six hits while fanning 11 Stars. Holm gave up just one hit after the first inning.
