Baseball wins first MCAC Tournament Championship since 2011
Bellevue out-lasted Oklahoma Wesleyan 11-10 in the MCAC Championship Game
BARTLESVILLE, OKLA. -- The 16th-ranked Bellevue University baseball team pounded out 14 hits, including home runs by Osvaldo Gonzalez, Gabriel De La Rosa, and Colton Nash, to defeat Oklahoma Wesleyan 11-10 in the decisive final game of the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament and claim their 12th MCAC Tournament title overall and first since 2011.
Bellevue, who was already assured of a spot in the NAIA National Tournament, improves to 44-13 heading into the post-season. Oklahoma Wesleyan falls to 46-12 with the loss but likely remains in solid position to claim an at-large berth.
A day after rallying from an eight-run deficit, Oklahoma Wesleyan jumped out to a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth before Bellevue could put anything on the scoreboard. The Bruins posted back-to-back four-spots to claim an 8-6 advantage heading into the seventh.
The Eagles scored three runs in the top half of the seventh to grab a 9-8 lead but BU responded with a run of their own in the bottom half. The Bruins scored twice in the eighth to take an 11-9 lead and held OKWU to just one run in the ninth to earn the thrilling 11-10 victory.
Trevor Jones, Nash, De La Rosa, Todd Nicks, and Tyler Blood each registered two-hit games for the Bruins in their MCAC Swan Song.
Bellevue returns to the diamond on May 12 with a time and opponent to be determined. The Bruins host the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round from May 12-15 at Roddy Field on the campus of Bellevue East High School.
** More detail to come when stats and play-by-play become available. **
