FOREST CITY, Iowa -- A six-run second and seven-run fifth backed a complete game shutout from Elijah Johnson as the top-seeded and No. 7-ranked Bellevue University baseball team defeated fourth-seeded Waldorf University 13-0 on Saturday afternoon in the second round of the North Star Athletic Association baseball tournament.
Bellevue improves to 43-10 on the season, remaining unbeaten in the tournament. The Bruins face the winner of Dickinson State-Viterbo tomorrow at 4 p.m.
Waldorf (15-26) falls into the loser's bracket where they will face Dakota State tomorrow at 9 a.m.
Elijah Johnson (10-2) showed why he was the NSAA Pitcher of the Year with a dynamic complete game, three-hit shutout in which he struck out 12 Warrior batters. He becomes the 33rd Bruin to win at least 10 games in a single season and moves up to fourth on the single-season strikeout list with 137.
Waldorf managed to get their leadoff runner on base just twice and only saw two base runners reach scoring position.
After failing to score in the first despite putting runners on the corners with no outs, Bellevue exploded for six runs in the second. Zach Diehl opened the scoring with a double to right that scored two and Kanta Kobayashi drove in another with a sac fly. With two runners on and one out, Alec Ackerman deposited his 17th home run of the season deep over the left field wall.
The score remained 6-0 into the fifth when Brenton Davis began the frame with an opposite field solo shot, his 14th of the year. A wild pitch brought home another before Kobayashi singled in a pair to put the Bruins ahead 10-0. Conner Barnett capped off the inning with a three-run big fly to left, giving him 10 long balls on the season.
All nine Bruin starters scored a run with eight recording at least one hit. Barnett led the way with four hits and Kobayashi added three while Davis and Mathieu Sirois recorded two apiece. Kobayashi, Barnett, and Ackerman each drove in three runs on the afternoon.
Barnett becomes the fifth Bruin to reach double figure home runs on the year as BU has totaled 95 dingers as a team this season, second most all-time. Kobayashi moved into fourth on the single-season runs scored list (79) and eighth on the single-season hit list (95).
