CRETE, Neb. -- Eight runs over the final two innings gave the Bellevue University baseball team rallied from a late deficit to hand Doane University a 13-7 loss on Wednesday afternoon in non-conference action.
The Bruins improve their overall record to 29-11 as they extend their winning streak to 17 games while the Tigers (25-11) saw their eight-game win streak halted.
Bellevue pumped four home runs on the afternoon with a pair of blasts coming in the eighth – a two-run shot by reigning NSAA Player of the Week Ayden Makarus to tie the game at seven and a solo shot from pinch-hitter Jordan Brandenburg – and Anthony Lind breaking the game open with a ninth inning grand slam.
Trailing 7-5 entering the eighth, Lind drew a leadoff walk before Makarus clubbed his ninth long ball of the year to tie the game. A ground out brough Brandenburg in and he took a pitch down the left field line for his third dinger of the season.
A 1-2-3 bottom of the frame brought the BU bats back in the ninth. Three-straight infield singles, including two via bunt, loaded the bases with nobody out before Lind left the yard with his fifth home run of the year. Scott Hansen added another run with a two-out single to score Makarus as the Bruins extended their lead to 13-7.
Braden Andersen (2-0), who retired all eight batters he faced, worked a perfect ninth to nail down the win. He struck out three in 2.2 innings of work.
Bellevue struck first in the first, loading the bases with one out before Lind drew a two-out walk, his first of the afternoon.
Jordan Bond countered for Doane with a two-run double to left-center in the bottom of the inning.
Bellevue scratched across three in the second to take a 4-2 lead but another run-scoring double from Bond and an infield single by Taiyo Takahashi saw the Tigers tie things up.
Steven Elsner and Logan Amick traded solo shots in the fourth as the see-saw battle continued. Elsner's home run was his 14th of the year.
Doane took the lead again an inning later when Bond doubled home yet another run.
The Tigers added a run on a wild pitch in the seventh and a subsequent walk loaded the bases leading coach Monlux to summon Andersen from the bullpen. He got Justin Nevells to foul out and Dane Kelsey to strike out to end the thread.
Cade Bridges (2-1) took the loss for Doane with the Bruins touching him up for six runs on six hits in two innings of relief.
Jake Lacey's second inning single was the 200th base hit of his Bellevue career, making him just the sixth player in program history to achieve that milestone.
Bellevue travels to Madison, S.D. this weekend for their final road series of the season for a four-game North Star Athletic Association series against Dakota State University. The Bruins and Trojans (19-18/6-6 NSAA) face off in a 1 p.m. double-header on Friday and again at noon on Saturday.
