No. 8 Eagles produce late-inning runs to notch sweep over BU

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
MCAC Standings

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Eighth-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University produced a pair of late-inning heroics to score a doubleheader sweep over 13th-ranked Bellevue University in a key MCAC twinbill Friday afternoon at Westgate Park. 

The Bruins fell to 32-9 overall and 10-4 in the MCAC with the two losses. Oklahoma Wesleyan improved to 36-7 on the season and 15-3 in league play. 

The two teams will complete the four-game series with a noon doubleheader on Saturday (April 10) at Roddy Field on the campus of Bellevue East High School. 

Game 1: Oklahoma Wesleyan 7, Bellevue 2 (10 innings). 

The first game featured two of the top starting pitchers in the MCAC, with Steve Sarcone entering the game with a 6-1 record and 2.05 ERA, while his counterpart Hugo Lemus entered with a 4-1 mark and 2.78 ERA. It turned out to be an extra-innings' pitchers' duel.

The starters did not disappoint, with both surrendering just one run through the first nine innings. 

The Eagles owned the first great scoring chance of the game as John Davenport led off the top of the third with a double. He was sacrificed to third by Gunner Joyce ahead of Jeff Butler earning a walk. Sarcone escaped the jam by inducing Austin Murphy to ground into an inning-ending 4-6-3 twin killing.

Bellevue posed their own threat in the bottom half. Kevin Rodriguez, after a leadoff single by Todd Nicks, advanced to second on a fielder's choice after the relay throw on a double play got away from the first baseman. A Trevor Jones groundout advanced Rodriguez to third with two away but Lemus got Ross Feeley to ground out to escape the threat.

Oklahoma Wesleyan broke the scoreless tie when David Espinoza led off the top of the fourth with his sixth long ball of the season. Sarcone avoided further damage when, with two runners on and just one out, he induced his second ground ball double-play in as many innings to quell the threat.

Bellevue knotted things up in the bottom half. Tyler Blood, with runners on the corners and two away, doubled home pinch-runner Elijah Dickerson and advanced Gabriel De La Rosa to third.

The Eagles threatened in the top of the eighth, loading the bases with one out, but Sarcone notched a pair of strikeouts to end the threat. 

Leland Tilley replaced Sarcone in the top of the 10th, giving up a bases-loaded walk and a two-run double by Gunner Joyce to give the Eagles a 4-1 advantage. After Tilley was replaced by Aaron Bain, another bases-loaded walk and a two-run single by Connor Finkhouse increased the OKWU lead to 7-1. 

Elpidio Martin took over for Lemus in the bottom of the tenth. Colton Nash's solo homer made the final, 7-2. 

Lemus (5-1) recorded the win, scattering nine hits with three strikeouts and three walks in nine innings of work. Tilley (2-2) suffered the loss and Sarcone fanned 12 batters in his nine innings on the mound. 

Game 2: Oklahoma Wesleyan 4, Bellevue 2

A two-run homer by Osvaldo Gonzalez gave the Bruins an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. That proved to be the only offense the Bruins could muster. 

The Eagles knotted the contest in the top of the fourth on a two-run single by Will Price. 

Neither team scored again until an RBI triple by Jeff Butler and a run-scoring single by David Espinoza helped OKWU take a 4-2 edge in the top of the seventh frame. 

Elpidio Martin replaced Eagle starter Sam Haynes in the bottom of the seventh, inducing two groundouts before the Bruins got two baserunners after an OKWU fielding error and a walk to Gonzalez. Nash flew out to center field to end the threat and give Martin the save. 

Haynes (4-2) notched the victory, allowing seven hits and two walks with no strikeouts in six innings on the mound. 

Braulio Torres-Perez (5-3) suffered the loss, giving up seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings of work.