Bruin bats stay hot as Monlux wins 400th game

Bethel Box Score
Siena Heights Box Score
MCAC Standings

LAKE WALES, Fla. -- The 12th-ranked Bellevue University baseball team continued its hot hitting Friday, pounding out 37 hits on the day as the Bruins dismantled Bethel (Ind.) College, 15-3, and Siena Heights University, 16-1, at the Warner University Classic.

The victory over Siena Heights was the 400th in the head coaching career of Duane Monlux who now stands at 400-240-5 all-time and 168-73-3 in his fifth season at Bellevue.

The Bruins have now won five-straight games and have outscored their opponents, 55-7, during that streak. 

The day was highlighted by Colton Nash's two grand slams. He has now recorded a grand slam in three-straight games. 

The Bruins will conclude their spring trip with a single nine-inning contest at Webber International University on Saturday (Mar. 7) at 11 a.m. (CST) in Babson Park, Fla. 

Bellevue 15, Bethel 3

Bellevue tallied 17 hits and used the solid pitching effort of Steve Sarcone en route to the 15-3 win over Bethel. Twelve Bruins recorded at least one hit in the victory. 

Nash and Osvaldo Gonzalez paced the BU offense. Nash drove in five runs in the win and Gonzalez went 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI. 

Sarcone (2-1) picked up his second win of the season, posting a career-high 11 strikeouts, while scattering six hits with one walk in seven innings of work.

The Bruins took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second on a bases-loaded balk and an RBI single by Kevin Rodriguez and added a third run in the third inning on a fielder's choice RBI by Nash.   

Nash belted a grand slam for the second-straight game to highlight the Bruins' five-run fifth inning, extending the BU lead to 8-0. 

A ground-out RBI by Tyler Blood and an RBI single by Gabriel De La Rosa pushed the Bruin advantage to 10-0 in the sixth frame. 

Bellevue plated a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, scoring on an RBI single by Elijah Dickerson and off a Pilot fielding error. 

The Bruins added three more runs in the eighth, sparked by RBI singles from Trevor Jones and Miles Campbell, moving the score to 15-0.

The Pilots got on the board in the eighth inning, scoring on an RBI single by Tyler Gruler. Bethel added a pair of runs in the ninth, scoring on a passed ball and on an RBI single by Trey Phillips, making the final, 15-3.

Bellevue 16, Siena Heights 1

The Bruins used a season-high 20 hits in the convincing 16-1 victory over Siena Heights, which saw Nash notch his third-straight game with a grand slam. 

De La Rosa and Todd Nicks both went 3-for-3 in the game. Nash finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored. 

The Saints grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first, scoring on a fielding error by Bruin starting pitcher Braulio Torres-Perez, following singles by Freddy Jehle and Joe Williams.

The Bruins responded in the bottom of the first with four runs, thanks to Nash's grand slam.

The lead increased to 7-1 in the third on RBI singles by De La Rosa and Campbell and a ground-out RBI by Aaron Brasher. 

Bellevue batted through the lineup in the bottom of the fourth, scoring six runs on eight hits, extending the lead to 13-1. 

The Bruins added a 14th run in the sixth, scoring on a Saint fielding error. 

An RBI double by Nicks gave BU a 15-1 advantage in the bottom of the seventh. 

A sacrifice fly to center field by Dan Greco in the bottom of the eighth completed the game's scoring. 

Torres-Perez improved to 2-1 on the season, allowing five hits with no walks, while striking out one in six innings of work.