ABERDEEN, S.D. -- The No. 2 Bellevue University baseball team won a pair of games against Presentation College this afternoon in North Star Athletic Association action. Bellevue claimed a 7-1 victory in the opener before pulling away for an 8-2 eight-inning win in the nightcap.
The Bruins improved to 42-8 (19-2 North Star) and reduced their magic number to clinch the regular-season title and secure one of two automatic bids to just two. Presentation falls to 14-38 (4-18 North Star) as their losing streak reached six games.
Bellevue and Presentation are back at it tomorrow as they wrap up their regular season slates with a double-header slated for noon.
Game One: Bellevue 7, Presentation 1
Bellevue scored first and never trailed in picking up a 7-1 win to open the series.
Ben McKendall (10-1) won his 10th game of the season on the hill with his best start since March. In a complete game victory, McKendall fed Presentation crumbs. He limited the Saints to just one run on four hits and struck out 10 batters. It was the fifth time this season McKendall reached double figures in strikeouts.
Bellevue struck first on a base-hit by Joe Mancuso that scored Trevor Jones in the opening inning. A half inning later BU added to their lead when Jones singled in Kevin Rodriguez.
Presentation got a run back in the bottom of the second. Anthony Guzman singled in Tanner Menke but the Saints managed just two hits the rest of the way.
Mancuso knocked in his second run of the game in the fifth to score Joe Moran. Derik Bontempo came in to score on a wild pitch later in the frame.
The Bruins added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth and one more in the ninth to account for the final margin.
Mancuso and Evans both had multi-hit games for BU.
Connor Perry (4-6) took the loss for the Saints. He allowed five runs on six hits and seven walks but did strike out nine in 7.1 innings of work.
Game Two: Bellevue 8, Presentation 2 (8 Innings)
After seven innings of a tight pitcher's duel Bellevue pulled away from Presentation with an 8-2 extra-inning win.
Bellevue again scored first with a pair of runs in the third inning. Joe Moran tripled home Connor Garrison and Derik Bontempo followed with a single to plate Moran.
Anthony Guzman and C.J. Weinhoff singled in runs in the bottom of the fourth to pull Presentation even at 2-2.
The score remained tied through seven innings of play, leading to free baseball. In the extra frame, Bellevue exploded for six runs. Colton Nash broke the tie when he came in to score following a stolen base and a throwing error. Kevin Rodriguez brought home another when he reached on an error and Garrison drove one in on a safety squeeze to put the Bruins up 5-2. The next three batters – Trevor Jones, Moran, and Bontempo – each singled in runs.
Leland Tilley worked 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to earn his eighth win of the season. Tony Monroy closed the game with a scoreless eighth inning.
Trevor Jones led the Bruin offense with three hits while Moran, Bontempo, Joe Mancuso, and Christian Fillingame each had two-hit games for the Bruins.
Todd Nicks got the start for the Bruins and tossed 5.2 effective innings, holding the Saints to a pair of runs on seven hits.
