FOREST CITY, Iowa -- The Bellevue University softball team pounded out 28 hits and scored 22 runs as the Bruins completed the four-game series sweep over Waldorf University Sunday afternoon in North Star Athletic Association action at the Waldorf Softball Field, winning 13-4 and 9-6.
The Bruins improved to 25-14 on the season and 14-2 in the NSAA. Waldorf fell to 4-24 overall and 3-12 in league play.
Bellevue will travel to Olathe, Kan. on Wed., April 17, for a 1 p.m. non-conference doubleheader at MidAmerica Nazarene University.
Game 1: Bellevue 13, Waldorf 4
After a back-and-forth affair for the first five innings, the Bruins exploded for eight runs on eight hits in the top of the sixth inning en route to the 13-4 win in the opener.
An RBI single by Atiana Rodriguez gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning.
The Warriors responded with a groundout RBI by Madison Clark to tie the score at 1-all in the bottom of the second frame.
Waldorf took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI single to right field by Kyleigh Morris and on a throwing error by BU first baseman Liana McMurtry that allowed Morris to score from second.
A two-run homer to left field by Katie Cunningham tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the fifth inning.
The Warriors responded in the bottom of the fifth with a solo homer to center field by Brooke Hickey as WU regained the advantage at 4-3.
BU's eight-run sixth inning was sparked by RBI singles from Cunningham, Madison Machacek, Myla Beckstrom, and Savannah Gunn, and RBI doubles by Liana McMurtry and Rodriguez. The Bruins batted through the lineup as BU had 13 batters come to the plate in the inning.
Breanne McMurtry's two-run homer to left field pushed the margin to 13-4 in the top of the seventh.
Rodriguez went 4-for-4 with two RBIs, and Cunningham finished 3-for-5 with a home run, double, and three RBIs to lead the Bruin offense.
Cunningham earned the win, improving to 14-5 on the season. She surrendered four runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts in five innings of work.
Mckenna Mentick (0-10) suffered the loss, giving up five runs on four hits with two walks and one strikeout in 2.1 innings.
Similar to the opener, the Bruins overcame an early deficit to score a come-from-behind 9-6 victory in the nightcap.
The Warriors grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI double to center field by Kaela Eslinger and on a run-scoring single through the right side by Haley Ehlert.
The Bruins responded in the top of the third, scoring three runs on a sacrifice fly to left field by Alexa Sidel and on RBI singles up the middle by Cunningham and Breanne McMurtry, giving BU a 3-2 advantage.
A throwing error by Liana McMurtry and a groundout RBI by Clark helped WU regain the lead at 4-3 in the bottom of the third.
A two-run single to left-center field by Cunningham gave the Bruins a 5-4 edge in the top of the fourth stanza.
The Warriors countered in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run single to center field by Eslinger, giving WU a 6-5 lead.
A pair of RBI singles by Cunningham and Breanne McMurtry gave BU back the advantage at 7-6 in the top of the sixth inning.
Bellevue added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a two-run single to left field by Sidel, increasing the margin to 9-6.
Savannah Gunn (8-4) earned the victory, scattering three hits with one walk and three strikeouts in the final five innings of the contest.
Maddie Dalke (3-10) suffered the loss, allowing eight hits with three walks and six strikeouts in seven innings of work.
Cunningham paced the BU offense in the win, going 4-for-5 with four RBIs.
