Bruins slug past St. Thomas, 10-5

AUBURNDALE, Fla. -- The No. 7 Bellevue University baseball team pounded out 17 hits, including four home runs, to open their Florida trip with a 10-5 victory over (RV) St. Thomas University on Saturday afternoon at Lake Myrtle Sports Park.

Bellevue evened their record at 7-7 while St. Thomas dropped to 6-8 following their sixth-straight loss.

Alec Ackerman homered twice in a 3-for-5 afternoon. Logan Grant (2-5) and Brendan Luther (1-5) also went yard for the Bruins.

Seven of nine BU starters recorded multi-hit efforts to back a strong start from Dustin Schorie (3-0). Schorie yielded a pair of runs on five hits over 5.1 innings of work.

Carlos Polanco (1-2) took the loss for the Bobcats, allowing three home runs, six run, and nine hits over five innings. He struck out just three despite averaging 14.8 K/9 entering the game.

Luis Rodriguez blasted the first pitch of the game over the wall in left to stake St. Thomas to an early 1-0 lead before Schorie bounced back to retire the next three in order.

Bellevue answered in the home half of the first when Ackerman jacked his first home run of the game over the wall in left-center.

Elijah Bear singled through the left side to score Steven Elsner in the third and Grant sent a blast over the trees in right-center in the fourth for a 5-1 lead.

Schorie departed with one out in the fifth and reliever Jayden Vinson was greeted by pinch hitter Carlos Estrada's bases loaded single to center that plated Angelo Piloto but a well-executed relay from Jake Lacey to Luther to Grant cut down R Fernandez at the plate. Vinson struck out Yardielo Oniel to end the inning.

The Bruins countered with three more runs in the sixth. Luther led off the inning with a solo home run, Lacey chased home CJ Townsend with a single to center, and Elsner knocked in Grant with another knock to center field.

Rodriguez belted his second home run of the game leading off the seventh to pulled the Bobcats within five, 8-3. Again, Bellevue quickly responded with Lacey scoring Bryce Zimmerer on a sac fly to center.

St. Thomas threatened a big inning in the eighth. The first two batters reached against Vinson who was lifted for Parker McMan. A base hit from Lucas Lopez and a walk to Estrada cut the BU lead to 9-4. Vinson responded by getting a ground ball from pinch-hitter Donovan Hill that Luther cut off, going to the bag at second himself and firing across the diamond for a double play. A fly ball from Erick Delgado, who replaced Rodriguez, ended the frame.

Ackerman ripped his second long ball of the game leading off the eight to provide Bellevue an insurance run and McMan pitched around a leadoff single in the ninth to wrap up the win.

The Bruins and Bobcats play the middle game of their three-game set tomorrow at 3:15 p.m. (CT) from Lake Myrtle Sports Park.