BU moves into sole possession of first

NSAA Standings

OMAHA, Neb. -- Jake Lacey became the 17^th Bruin in program history to join the BU 100/100 club (100 runs scored, 100 RBI) as the No. 16 Bellevue University baseball team won both ends of a North Star Athletic Association double-header over Mayville State University on Friday afternoon at John Stella Field at Brown Park.

With the victories, the Bruins improve to 28-11 overall and 13-1 in conference place while the Comets slip to 11-30 on the year and 6-11 in NSAA play. Bellevue moves a game ahead of second place Dakota State as the Trojans split at double-header at Valley City State today.

Head Coach Duane Monlux hit a personal milestone with the victory in the second game as he now has 800 career coaching victories across 23 seasons, 568 coming at BU.

Game One: BU 3, MSU 2

Logan Grant's seventh inning fly ball tipped off the glove of center fielder Carson Lundmark allowing Grant to race all the way around the bases for the go-ahead run in Bellevue's 3-2 comeback victory.

Austin McClure allowed just five hits through five innings of shutout ball before Bellevue finally broke through in the sixth.

Marcus Hughes was hit by a pitch to lead off the game and reached third on a base hit through the right side by Lundmark before scoring on a double play ball as the Comets took an early 1-0 lead.

Mayville State managed just one hit over the next three innings before doubling their lead in the fifth. Following an intentional walk to load the bases, Chris Shopbell drove in a run after being hit by a pitch.

Brendan Luther led off the sixth with a single up the middle and pinch-runner Bryce Zimmerer scored from first on Steven Elsner's double as the Bruins clawed their way back into the game. After a sac bunt by Anthony Lind, Tyler Monroe singled to center to score Elsner with the tying run.

Bruin starter Dustin Schorie worked around a leadoff double by Anthony Villanueva in the sixth, stranding Villanueva in scoring position to allow the Bruins a chance to go ahead in the ninth.

With one out, Grant hit a towering fly ball to center that caromed off Lundmark's glove and rolled to the wall allowing Grant to sprint home with the go-ahead run.

Schorie (6-1) retired the side in order in the seventh to log his third-consecutive complete game, striking out five against one walk and allowing two runs on six hits.

Gunner Thompson (2-3) took the loss, allowing just an unearned run on two hits in relief.

McClure did not factor in the decision for the Comets. He allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings, striking out four.

Game Two: BU 13, MSU 2

Logan Grant homered twice with Brendan Luther and Nick Grade also going yard as the Bruins pounded out 17 hits in a comfortable 13-2 victory. Grant (4-4) drove in a team-high four runs and Grade (2-4) knocked in three in the victory.

Grant put the Bruins on the board with his two-run shot in the first. After Chris Shopbell launched a solo shot in the home half, Grade singled home a run to restore the two-run BU lead.

Sam Hilgorsom homered leading off the bottom of the second to make it a 3-2 game and that is where the score remained until the sixth.

Solo home runs from Grant and Luther put the Bruins ahead 5-2 and Tyler Monroe singled home Anthony Lind with two outs in the inning.

Bellevue struck for two more in the seventh on a bases loaded walk to Alec Ackerman and a soft single by Luther.

Nick Gravel and Grant singled home runs around an RBI-triple from Jake Lacey in the eighth and Grade capped the scoring with a two-run blast to center in the ninth.

Bruin pitchers accounted for 16 strikeouts in the game.

Brock Townsend (2-2) shook off some early-inning struggles to deliver five solid innings on the mound. He struck out a season-high nine and scattered six hits before handing the ball off to Brady Toth. Toth struck out the first four batters and faced, and seven for the game, as he delivered four scoreless innings of relief to earn his third save of the year.

Gregor Farquharson (2-6) took the loss allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits across six innings of work.

Up Next:

The Bruins and Comets wrap up their series tomorrow with a noon double-header at Brown Park.