BU wraps up opening weekend with 3-1 win over Stars

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Jake Lacey drove in a pair of runs, including to go-ahead double in the eighth inning to help the No. 5-ranked Bellevue University baseball team to a 3-1 victory over No. 11 Oklahoma City in the Bruins' final game of the weekend.

Bellevue begins the year 3-0 while OCU drops to 3-6. Bellevue also swept a pair of games from Oklahoma City in both 2016 and 2017.

Easton Brinton worked five solid innings, limiting the Stars to just a run on three hits while punching out seven before giving way to the bullpen.

OCU jumped on the board in the second when Trent Kiraly chased home Chad Pike with a double.

BU struggled to solve Rylan Ryerson, failing to advance a runner past second until the sixth inning. In the sixth, back-to-back hit batters to open the inning gave the Bruins a threat. Logan Grant laid down a sac bunt to put two in scoring position with one out before Jake Lacey tied the game with a sac fly to center.

Ryerson's final line saw him strike out eight and allow just a run on one hit in 6.1 innings before handing the ball off to Tyler Polk in the seventh.

Cade Sakamoto, despite allowing four base runners in 1.1 innings, did not yield a run before turning the ball over to Ayden Adams in the seventh.

Adams entered with the bases loaded and one out. He struck out Frankie Danell III and pinch-hitter Evan Maun to escape trouble and keep things knotted up at one apiece.

Bellevue capitalized on the momentum of Adams' Houdini act in the eighth. Alec Ackerman led off the frame with a double to left and came home two batters later on a double from Lacey. Anderson advanced Lacey to third with a ground ball and Mathieu Sirois chased Lacey home with an insurance run, singling through the left side.

Adams erased a leadoff single in the eighth by inducing a ground ball double play off the bat of Noah Kang before striking out Barrett Daniel to advance the game to the ninth.

Oklahoma City drew a pair of walks to start the home half of the ninth, but Felix Chenier-Rondeau was caught stealing after being picked off before Adams struck out Kiraly and Jesse Fonteboa to end the game.

With 2.2 innings of scoreless relief that saw him strike out five and allow just one hit, Adams (1-0) picked up the win.

Polk (0-1) took the loss, allowing a pair of runs on three hits and two walks in 2.2 innings of relief.

The Bruins are back in action next weekend with three games in Chickasha, Okla. The weekend kicks off against Friends University with first pitch set for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18.