LAKE WALES, Fla. -- After falling behind early, a big middle inning rally propelled the No. 12 Bellevue University baseball team to defeat home-standing Warner University, 9-2, in non-conference action on Tuesday afternoon.
Bellevue (12-3) has now won four of their past five games while Warner (15-10) falls to 2-5 in their last seven contests.
The Royals opened the scoring with single runs in each the first and second innings. Junior Fermin scored on an error in the first and Jesse Alker came in on an RBI-groundout by Xanders Vazquez in the second.
Warner carried that 2-0 lead into the fourth before Bellevue got the bats going. BU responded by hanging crooked numbers in consecutive innings. It started in the fourth with a pair of bases loaded walks to Todd Nicks and John King. Kevin Rodriguez added another with a run-scoring ground out to plate Connor Garrison and Trevor Jones capped the innings with a single to center to score Nicks.
BU added three more runs to their lead in the fifth. Derik Bontempo doubled home Ross Feeley, Jake Browne drove in another with a sac fly, and Bontempo scored on a wild pitch to push the lead to 7-2.
The Bruins tacked on two more in the sixth with a two-run double by Colton Nash to score Feeley and Jones. That gave BU a 9-2 lead headed into the bottom half of the sixth.
Jones and Bontempo led the Bruins with a pair of hits apiece while Feeley and Bontempo each scored two runs. Nash and Bontempo recorded extra base hits and Nash's two RBI were a game-high.
Kameron Miner (1-0, 1.04 8.2 IP) made his first start on the hill for the Bruins. He picked up the win, working all seven innings while surrendering just two runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks. He struck out three.
Jimmy Diven (1-2) took the loss for Warner after starter Tristan Starling left the game with a 2-0 lead after the third. Diven was tagged for five runs on three hits and five walks in one inning of work.
The Bruins get a day off before taking part in the Warner Tournament on Thursday, Mar. 10. BU plays Thomas at 8:15 a.m. and Mount Vernon Nazarene at 11:15 a.m.
