OMAHA, Neb. -- On the strength of 43 hits, the No. 5-ranked Bellevue University baseball team scored a record 49 runs in Thursday's double-header sweep of Presentation College in North Star Athletic Association play at Brown Park.
Thursday marked the first time since February of 1994 that the Bruins have scored 20+ runs in consecutive games. That year they accomplished the feat with wins over West Texas A&M by scores of 25-2 and 21-8 on Feb. 26 and 27.
Bellevue has now won five-straight overall to improve to 32-6 and 17-1 in conference play.
Presentation remains winless on the year, falling to 0-32 (0-18 NSAA) as their losing streak – which dates back to last season – reached 46 games.
Game One: BU 28, PC 6
Kanta Kobayashi set the table, reaching safely six times as he went 4-for-5 with a double, four RBI, and four runs scored.
Conner Barnett finished 3-for-4 with a double, four RBI and three runs scored. Five other Bruins recorded multi-hit games as 12 players recorded hits in the game.
CJ Townsend drove in six runs in a 2-for-5 effort and Jake Lacey homered on his way to driving in five runs.
BU scored five first innings runs and recorded multiple runs in every inning.
Alexandro Celiceo (7-1) collected the win, settling in after a three-run second inning by the Saints. He struck out nine and scattered eight hits over five innings.
Game Two: BU 21, PC 3
Bellevue hit six home runs as a team to back another strong performance from Blake Crippen (8-1) who struck out six while allowing just a run on five hits in as many innings on the hill.
Logan Grant blasted three home runs, becoming the first Bruin to do so since JT Patterson launched a trio of long balls in the 2019 NSAA Championship Game.
The Bruins opened up by scoring eight runs in the first and added crooked numbers in each of the next three innings for a 17-0 lead headed to the bottom of the fourth.
Kanta Kobayashi (3-5), Jake Lacey (2-5), and Tradd Richardson (3-3) also went yard for Bellevue.
Up Next:
The Bruins and Saints wrap up their series tomorrow with a noon double-header from Brown Park.
