OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Showing off their offensive potential in the opener and delivering some quality pitching in the nightcap, the No. 5-ranked Bellevue University baseball team kicked of the 2023 season with a pair of victories over Top 25 opponents.
The Bruins rallied from an early 6-0 deficit to out-slug #21 Concordia University, 18-10, in the season-opener. They followed up by defeating #11 Oklahoma City 5-1 in game two.
Bellevue begins the year 2-0 while CUNE drops a pair on opening day and Oklahoma City falls to 3-5 on the season.
Game One: #5 BU 18, #21 CUNE 10
Concordia jumped out to a 6-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first and four more in the second inning.
Bruin starter Kenji Miller was chased after recording just four outs, paving the way for Alexandro Celiceo to come on in relief. With 4.1 effective innings on the hill, Celiceo picked up his first win of the season and 15th of his career, becoming the 26th Bruin to record as many victories.
Trailing by six entering the third, Bellevue exploded for a 12-run inning despite recording just a pair of extra-base hits – both doubles – in the frame.
The Bruins tacked on four more in the fourth courtesy of a two-run single from Brendan Luther and a two-run double off the bat of Alec Ackerman to stretch the lead to 16-6.
CUNE scored three in the fifth highlighted by a Joey Grabanski homer and another in the sixth, a solo shot off the bat of Jesse Garcia.
Jared Eifler came on in the sixth and despite allowing the first two batters he faced to reach escaped further damage in the frame.
Ackerman jacked a two-run shot in the home half to quell any thoughts of a Bulldog comeback and Eifler worked around a one-out walk in the seventh to wrap up the victory.
Ackerman finished a triple short of the cycle as he went 3-for-3 at the dish with a walk, seven RBI, and three runs scored.
Kanta Kobayashi (2-3, 4 runs, 2B, BB, 1 RBI), Logan Grant (2-3, 2 RBI, 2 runs, BB), and Jake Lacey (2-4, 2B, RBI, run) also recorded multi-hit games and reached base safely three times in the victory. Eric Anderson finished 0-for-1 officially but drew four walks in the game.
Game Two: #5 BU 5, #11 OKCU 1
Blake Crippen (1-0) picked up where he left off at the end of the 2022 season, delivering a complete game against a ranked opponent. He allowed just a run on six hits while striking out six over seven strong innings.
Bellevue scored all five of their runs in the third inning. Alec Ackerman, Mathieu Sirois, and Takumi Maeno all drew bases-loaded walks to chase in runs. Logan Grant and Jake Lacey also drove in runs with a pair of fielder's choices.
Frankie Danel III delivered a pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the seventh as the Stars avoided the shutout.
Brendan Luther, Grant, Lacey, and Eric Anderson each went 1-for-4 to account for all four Bruin hits in the game with Lacey delivering the lone extra-base knock, a one-out double in the second inning.
Andrew Limbaugh took the loss for the Stars, falling to 0-2. He allowed five runs on three hits and five walks in just 2.1 innings. Isaac Horstman came in to throw 4.2 innings of one-hit relief in which he struck out six against one walk.
Up Next:
Bellevue wraps up their opening weekend tomorrow at noon with a single game against Oklahoma City beginning at 11 a.m.
