LAKE WALES, Fla. -- Leland Tilley came out of the bullpen to provide the Bruins a big lift on the hill and the Bruins avoided a shutdown inning after falling behind and the No. 12 Bellevue University baseball team defeated Thomas University, 7-6, on Saturday in the to advance to the Championship Game of the Warner Invitational.
After starter Kameron Miner managed to only throw two innings, Leland Tilley came out of the 'pen to record the win. Tilley (2-0, 1.46) earned the victory with five strong innings of relief. He allowed just one run on seven scattered hits and struck out four in the longest appearance of his Bruin career.
Bellevue improves to 16-4 with the victory while Thomas drops to 10-17 with their second loss to the Bruins in three days.
Thomas opened the scoring with a big five-run second inning. JR Cruess earned a bases loaded walk off Miner and Jalbert Melo capped off the inning with a grand slam to left field to put the Nighthawks up 5-0.
The Bruins got a run back in the bottom half of the inning when Jake Browne doubled to left to bring in Colton Nash.
In the third, Bellevue recorded their own big inning. Ross Feeley walked to start the rally and Nash singled with two outs before Derik Bontempo came through with his first home run, a three-run shot to left, to bring the score to 5-4. Browne followed up with a single, then Garrison stole second, and Nicks came through with a single to left to pull the game even at 5-5.
BU took the their first lead in the bottom of the fourth on a sac fly by Feeley that scored Kevin Rodriguez who had reached via a dropped third strike and took two bases on a sac bunt by Trevor Jones.
Thomas pulled even in the next half inning when Alan Baker squeezed home Tanner Long making the score 6-6.
The Nighthawks had an opportunity to take the lead in the seventh after a pair of two-out singles put runners on the corners but Tilley struck out Long to end the threat and the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Browne worked a walk and pinch-runner Connor Garrison swiped second on the first pitch to the following batter, Todd Nicks. Nicks would eventually work a walk of his own after seven pitches to put a pair of runners on with two outs. John King followed up by reaching on an error to extend the inning and load the bases. Rodriguez, the next batter up, pushed the count full after falling behind 1-2 before earning a walk-off walk and the Bruins won 7-6.
Nicks, Browne, and Bontempo each had multi-hit games for the Bruins in the victory.
Tyler Leach (1-2) took the loss for the Nighthawks. He allowed a run on three walks in 0.2 innings.
The Bruins are back in action on Friday, Mar. 18 when they travel to Orange City, Iowa for a double-header against Northwestern at 3 p.m. The following day Bellevue plays their home-opener, against that same Red Raider squad, at Westgate Field. First pitch in that twin-bill is slated for 1 p.m.
