CHICKASHA, Okla. -- Everything broke favorably for the No. 19-ranked University of Science & Arts in a double-header sweep of the No. 5-ranked Bellevue University baseball team on Sunday afternoon. The Drovers won by scores of 8-2 and 14-3 in a Top 20 match-up at Bill Smith Ballpark.
USAO improves to 8-5 on the season while Bellevue falls to 4-2.
Game One: #19 USAO 8, #5 BU 2
Science & Arts struck first scoring runs in each of the first two innings before breaking things open with a four-spot in the fourth highlighted by a three-run home run by Gage Gaunt.
Bruin starter Blake Crippen (1-1) was finished after three, allowing six runs on eight hits.
Bellevue scratched across single runs in each the fifth and sixth innings, scoring on a sac fly by Brendan Luther and an RBI-double from Logan Grant.
Nate Smith allowed a pair of runs in relief before Jared Eifler shut down the Drover bats with 1.2 perfect innings.
Bellevue threatened in the seventh, loading the bases with nobody out, but Alden Norquist came on and struck out two of three batters he faced to finish off the victory.
Logan Grant finished 2-for-3 and Takumi Maeno recorded BU's other base hit with a single.
Megumi Fukuda worked six quality innings for the Drovers. He allowed a pair of runs, one earned, on three hits and struck out five. He did, however, issue seven free passes.
Game Two: #19 USAO 14, #5 BU 3
Science and Arts started fast and did not relent. The Drovers opened with a four-run first and tacked on in each of the next two innings, taking a 7-0 lead after three.
A seven-run fourth removed all doubt as to the outcome.
Brendan Luther broke up the no-hit bid with his fifth inning single. One inning later, Tradd Richardson averted the shutout with a solo home run, his first of the year.
Nick Grade tacked on two more runs with his first long ball of the season in the seventh.
Easton Brinton (0-1) took the loss after being tagged for five runs in 1.2 innings of work.
The first two Bruins out of the bullpen did not fare well either, allowing a combined nine runs on four hits and three walks hits over 1.1 innings before Parker McMan came on for three shutout innings of relief work.
Reed Butz (1-1) worked five innings shutout innings, limiting BU to just one hit and striking out 11 en route to earning the victory.
Will Hoch and Peyton McDowall each homered in the victory for USAO.
Up Next:
Bellevue is scheduled to face Briar Cliff University (0-0) next weekend for a three-game series in Sioux City, Iowa. The Bruins and Chargers have a noon double-header slated for Saturday and a single game set for 2 p.m. on Sunday.
