LAKE WALES, Fla. -- Alec Ackerman's two-run ninth-inning home run gave the Bruins life but (RV) Warner University held on for a 3-2 win over the 24th-ranked Bellevue University baseball team on Tuesday afternoon at Royals Field.
The Royals ran their win streak to 13 games, improving to 21-6 while the Bruins slip to 10-5 on the year.
McGrane Pledger (1-2) turned in a quality start but the normally potent Bruin offense was held in check by Warner's Noah Harsch (4-1) and John Bean (Save, 2).
Warner cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth with Brandon Crosby scoring on a ground ball off the bat of Trey Woosley.
The score remained 1-0 until the eighth when solo home runs from Tyler Brown and Woosley put Warner ahead 3-0 and chased Pledger from the game. He exited with a final line of three runs allowed on seven hits in 7.2 innings, striking out six and walking a pair.
With just one hit on the board into the ninth, a fourth inning single by Alec Ackerman, Bellevue's Kanta Kobayashi led off the inning by reaching on an error. Conner Barnett reached on a fielder's choice that saw Kobayashi retired before Ackerman homered to make it a one-run game.
Harsch departed after 8.1 having allowed just two runs and a pair of hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Bean came on and retired Alex Stufft, the first batter he saw, before hitting Drew Staley with a pitch and surrendering a single to Tradd Richardson that saw Staley advance to third. Staley wound up stranded 90 feet from home as Bean struck out Brenton Davis to end the game.
Bellevue continues their Florida trip at the 2022 Warner Invitational. The Bruins will play four games in pool play, Thursday and Friday, before playing a placing game on Saturday.
Thursday, March 10
- Bellevue vs. Siena Heights (9 a.m. CST), at Warner University
- Bellevue vs. Concordia-Ann Arbor (3 p.m. CST), at Warner University
Friday, March 11
- Bellevue vs. Lawrence Tech (9 a.m. CST), at Lake Wales High School
- Bellevue vs. Concordia, Neb. (7 p.m. CST), at Warner University
