Pitching propels Bruins to Saturday sweep

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Three Bellevue University pitchers combined to strike out 23 batters and not allow an earned run in a double-header sweep on Saturday afternoon. The No.  3 Bruins took down Arlington Baptist, 6-1, in the first game of a double-header before dispatching (RV) Oklahoma City, 2-0, to earn a pair of victories on the day.

The Bruins have now won three-straight games to improve to 5-1 overall while Arlington Baptist drops to 2-10 and Oklahoma City falls to 11-2 on the year.

Bellevue and Oklahoma City will play one more game tomorrow at noon before BU returns home.

Game One: Bellevue 6, Arlington Baptist 1

Senior Todd Nicks (W, 1-1) fired six impressive innings, yielding just an unearned run on two hits while striking out 12 batters in a great bounce back start to lead Bellevue to a 6-1 win over Arlington Baptist. Junior Reid Feeley worked a perfect seventh inning, striking out all three batters he faced, to preserve the victory.

Arlington Baptist pushed across the first run in the opening half inning. Ivan Rios reached on an error to lead off the game and came in to score on a second error with one out for a 1-0 Patriot lead.

That lead held until just the second inning when BU hung a three-spot. Jake Browne tagged a one-out double to right center before Alex Chaney followed up with a run-scoring double to left center. Hunter Robson then launched a two-run homer to left field to put Bellevue up 3-1.

The Bruins slowly expanded their lead, adding single runs in each the third, fourth, and fifth innings. Diego Iribarren singled home Joe Moran in the third, Robson popped his second home run of the game to lead off the second, and Derik Bontempo scored on a wild pitch in the fifth.

Colton Glover took the loss for the Patriots. He was charged with allowing six earned runs on 12 hits in 4.2 innings on the hill.

Game Two: Bellevue 2, Oklahoma City 0

Senior Ben McKendall (W, 2-0) made his second strong start to open the season, firing a complete game four-hitter and striking out eight batters to lead Bellevue to a 2-0 victory over Oklahoma City.

Matt Young (L, 1-1) suffered the tough-luck loss for the Stars despite a strong showing of his own. Young allowed just one earned run (two in total) on four hits and struck out eight batters.

The Bruins got on the scoreboard first in the top of the second inning. Todd Nicks drew a four-pitch, two-out walk and came in to score a batter later when Blake Macdonald's fly ball to center field was dropped for BU to take a 1-0 lead.

BU scratched across a critical second run in the fourth. Derik Bontempo led off the inning by drawing a walk and advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt from Young. Diego Iribarren then smacked a double to left center to chase home Bontempo, allowing the Bruins to push their lead to 2-0.

Oklahoma City threatened in the fifth, following a leadoff double from Jerame Littell but McKendall set down the next three batters in order to strand Littell at third and preserve the two-run lead. The would be the last scoring chance of the game for the Stars as McKendall closed the game by setting the final nine batters down without incident.