Long balls power Bruins to series win over Jimmies

WEST FARGO, N.D. -- The No.  5 Bellevue University baseball team pounded out six home runs in a double-header sweep of the University of Jamestown on Saturday afternoon at Elmwood Park. The Bruins went deep three times in each game as the defeated the Jimmies by scores of 18-3 and 10-2 to secure a North Star Athletic Association series victory.

BU has now won 30 of their last 31 games to improve their overall record to 37-7 (15-1 NSAA) while Jamestown falls to 30-14 (11-5) on the year and have now lost three games in a row.

Bellevue is back in action on Monday, Apr.  17 when they travel to York, Neb. for a 3 p.m. tilt against the Panthers of York College.

Game One: Bellevue 18, Jamestown 3 (7 Inn.)

Derik Bontempo, Todd Nicks, and Miles Campbell all went yard in game one to help the Bruins to an 18-3 win.

BU jumped out to an early 2-0 with runs on first inning singles from Matt Evans and Diego Iribarren.

Two innings later Bellevue padded their lead with a seven-run inning to go up 9-0. The inning was highlighted by Bontempo's first home run of the day, a two-run shot to jump start the offense in the third.

The Bruins tacked on a run in the fifth and threw up six more in the sixth inning which saw Nicks hit a solo shot and Campbell bash a two-run homer.

The Jimmies got a run back in the bottom of the sixth on an Alex Sablan RBI-single.

Bellevue concluded their offensive outburst in the seventh with Brandon Salmon's two-run double to right field.

UJ grabbed two runs in the bottom of the seventh to offset the runs they surrendered in the top of the innings.

Nicks (W, 8-2) earned the win with seven innings in a quality start. He limited Jamestown to two earned runs (three in total) on seven hits to go along with five strikeouts and a pair of walks.

Logan Lund (L, 6-3) took the loss after being charged with allowing nine earned runs on eight hits and a walk in just 2.2 innings of work. Five relievers combined to finish the game surrendering nine additional runs on 14 hits.

Game Two: Bellevue 10, Jamestown 2

Derik Bontempo, Joe Moran, and Hunter Kelly each tapped into their power in game two by hitting home runs to power Bellevue to a 10-2 win over Jamestown to earn the series victory.

Bellevue jumped out to a first inning lead again in this one when Bontempo hit his second long ball of the day, a two-run home run to the opposite field to plate Matt Evans.

Joe Moran followed up in the third inning with a grand slam in the third inning to put the Bruins up 6-0.

Hunter Kelly delivered a solo shot – his first as a Bruin – in the fourth as Bellevue pushed their lead to 7-0.

Three more run in the fifth courtesy of a Todd Nicks RBI-groundout and a pair of run-scoring passed balls made in 10-0 in favor of the visitors.

Kory Wolden doubled in a pair of runs in the seventh to help Jamestown avoid the shutout.

Zach Wilson (W, 6-1) worked 6.2 effective innings, limiting Jamestown to two earned runs on six hits while striking out five batters. Reid Feeley came on to record the final out of the game.

Chase Thometz (L, 4-4) was tagged with the loss after giving up nine runs (eight earned)on nine hits in 4.1 innings on the hill. Three relievers combined to hold the Bruins to one unearned run over the final 2.2 innings.