GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Derik Bontempo's three-run fifth inning home run gave the No. 2 Bellevue University baseball team a four-run lead and the Bruins held off No. 12 York College's comeback bid for a 4-3 win to reach the final round of the NAIA Opening Round Tournament on Thursday afternoon.
Despite committing five errors, Bellevue's defense made plays when it mattered most, turning three huge defensive plays in support of southpaw Braulio Torres-Perez and sidewinder Leland Tilley. BU, the NAIA's best defensive team, turned double plays with the tying run on base in both the eighth and ninth innings to preserve a one run lead. The Bruins also threw the tying runner out at the plate in the fifth.
BU extended their season with the win, improving to 49-10 on the year, while York concludes the 2016 campaign with an overall mark of 46-17 and a third place finish in the Grand Rapids Bracket.
The Bruins jumped on the board first with an RBI-single from Jake Browne that scored Bontempo in the second inning.
Both starters kept the game close from there until BU broke through with the game's first multi-run inning. Connor Garrison led off the fifth with a single up the middle but was later retired on a Ross Feeley's fielder's choice for the second out. Joe Moran followed Feeley with a single to center ahead of Bontempo who launched his team-leading 11th home run of the year over the left field fence to put Bellevue up 4-0.
The Panthers struck for three runs in the bottom half of the fifth. York got on the board when Nick Stoll hit a bases loaded sac fly to chase in Timmion Hughes. Two batters later Michael Johnson doubled down the left field line to score two runs with Billy Johnson charging around third but Billy Johnson was gunned out at the plate to end the inning.
Torres-Perez (10-1) became the second Bruin to hit the 10-win plateau on the season. The senior left-hander logged 7.1 innings in which he limited York to three runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out eight batters which marked the fourth time this season he retired at least that many via strikeout.
With the tying run on base the Bruins turned to Tilley, their ace closer, who after allowing a rare (metal) broken-bat single, induced a line drive double play to escape the jam. York got the tying and winning runs on base in the ninth but Tilley got the speedy Lamar Smith to ground into a twin-killing to end the ballgame and send Bellevue through to the finals.
Ulysses Ramos (7-4) took the loss for York. He went five innings and allowed four runs on six hits and five walks. Jaraad Salas tossed four inning of scoreless, one-hit relief and struck out five.
Bellevue plays Davenport at 3 p.m. local time (2 p.m. CT). If Davenport were to win, the Panthers would advance to the Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. However; should the Bruins win the two teams will play a winner-take-all game at noon on Friday.
