BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Eight runs in the seventh and eighth innings turned a two-run advantage into a comfortable win as the No. 2 Bellevue University baseball team defeated visiting Waldorf University, 13-4, on Friday afternoon at Westgate Field in a North Star Athletic Association game.
With the win Bellevue (37-6 | 15-1 NSAA) run their win streak to nine games while the loss is the second in a row for Waldorf (15-26 | 11-6 NSAA).
BU pounded out a season-high 21 hits in the slugfest, out-hitting Waldorf who finished the game with 11 base knocks.
Derik Bontempo crushed a ball of the left-center field fence with a pair of runners on to drive in the game's first run. One batter later, Jake Browne laid a bunt down the third base line to bring in the speedy Joe Moran to double the BU advantage.
The Bruins picked up a run to push their lead to 3-0 in the third inning on Browne's two-out single to left to bring in Colton Nash who had previously singled and stole second base.
Bruin starter Ben McKendall ran into a little two-out trouble in the fourth inning. Waldorf pieced together a pair of singles and with two out Garrett Gillen came through with a double to left to get the Warriors on the board and cut the BU lead to 3-1.
Moran showed off his wheels in the fifth inning, preventing a Waldorf run and extra-base hit when he made an incredible diving catch onto the warning track to rob Bruce Mau.
Bellevue reclaimed their three-run lead with an RBI-double from Nash to score Moran who led off the inning with an infield single and a stolen base. Matt Evans push the Bruin lead to four runs with a sac fly to bring home Nash and put Bellevue up 5-1.
Gillen drove in the second Waldorf run in the in sixth with a run-scoring groundout with runners at second and third. Tim Pasiuk drove in another Waldorf run on a high chop single that fell in between three BU defenders.
Joe Mancuso gave the Bruins some breathing room when he turned around a fastball for a towering two-run, pinch-hit home run in the seventh to put Bellevue up 7-3.
Waldorf shaved a run off the lead on Pasiuk's eighth inning single.
The Bruins responded with five runs in the bottom half. Trevor Jones came in from third on a failed pickoff attempt. Back-to-back doubles from Bontempo and Browne scored two and one run, respectively. Mancuso and Rodriguez came through with back-to-back singles to chase in two more runs.
McKendall (9-1, 1.63) picked up the win, holding Waldorf to four runs. He scattered 11 hits and struck out nine on the afternoon. It marked the sixth time this season that McKendall has struck out at least nine batters in a game.
Zach Larrison worked a scoreless ninth to preserve the win. Browne and Moran each put up four-hit games for the Bruins.
Dave Erickson took the loss on the bump for the Warriors, falling to 0-3 on the season. He was charged with allowing seven runs on 15 hits.
The Bruins and Warriors resume their series with games two and three tomorrow. The double-header is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. at Roddy Field on the campus of Bellevue East High School.
