OMAHA, Neb. -- The 14th-ranked Bellevue University baseball team scored three runs in the sixth inning and used the solid pitching effort of Steve Sarcone to register a 3-1 win over Northwestern (Iowa) College Friday afternoon in non-conference action at Westgate Park.
The Bruins improved to 15-4 on the season with the win. Northwestern dropped to 7-11 with the loss.
Sarcone (3-1) struck out 13 batters while giving up five hits with no walks in eight innings on the mound.
Neither team scored until a solo homer to right field by Casy Guthmiller gave NWC a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning.
The Bruins responded with three runs in the bottom half of the sixth when Tyler Blood led off with a single to left field and was driven in by Osvaldo Gonzalez' double down the left field line. The Bruins took the lead at 2-1 with an RBI single by Gabriel De La Rosa. De La Rosa scored BU's third run of the inning, advancing on three wild pitches.
After Mitch Peschon led off the top of the ninth with a single to left field, Sarcone was replaced by junior right-handed pitcher Marcco Lovato who forced a fly out to right field before being replaced by Leland Tilley. Tilley allowed a walk before recording a strikeout and ending the game on a fly out to left field to secure his second save of the season.
The two teams will meet again on Saturday (March 14) in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Westgate Field.
