Offense carries the day as Bruins complete sweep of Vikings

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Bruin offense provided 25 runs as the Bellevue University baseball team complete a four-game series sweep of Valley City State University on Friday afternoon. The Bruins took down the Vikings 11-2 and 14-10 in double-header action at John Stella Field at Brown Park.

Bellevue improves to 18-11 overall, having won eight of nine, and are now 4-0 in NSAA play. Valley City slides to 15-18 overall and 0-4 in the North Star, having now lost six of seven overall.

Game One: BU 11, VCSU 2

Scott Hansen jump-started the Bruin offense, leading off the game with his fourth home run of the season.

Jaden Babiuk answered for the Vikings with an RBI-single in the home half of the first.

Steven Elsner belted a pair of two-run home runs in the third and seventh, respectively, to run his team-leading total to 13 and moving into sole possession of fifth on BU's all-time home run charts.

Anthony Lind added a sac fly in the third and Hansen singled home a run in the fourth as the Bruins opened up a 5-1 lead.

Alexis Velasco chased home a run in the fifth and the Vikings threatened for more with runners on the corners and one out. BU starter Kenji Miller struck out Babiuk before being replaced by Brayden Andersen who induced a ground ball to end the inning.

Hansen quickly got that run back for BU with an RBI-double to center to score Nick Gravel. A two-run double from Jake Lacey later in the frame made it 8-2 in favor of the Bruins.

Hansen pushed home an insurance run in the seventh before Elsner capped the scoring with his second long ball of the game.

Miller (5-0) earned the win, working to limit VCSU to two runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings. He struck out three and issued two walks.

Andersen worked 2.1 one-hit innings to record his second save of the season.

Takao Cookson (1-1) took the loss for the Vikings, allowing five runs – two earned – on five hits in four innings. He struck out five and walked four.

Game Two: BU 14, VCSU 10

Jake Lacey blasted a pair of two-run home runs to become the 10^th member, and third active member, of the 30-home run club at BU.

After a scoreless first, BU scored twice in the second on a sac fly from Elijah Tanner

Alexis Velasco and Jaden Babiuk tied the game in the third with the former driving home a run on a fielder's choice and the latter delivering an RBI-single.

Nick Gravel put the Bruins back in front in the fourth with a single through the 5/6 hole and Lacey bopped his first three-run homer in the fifth for a 6-2 BU lead.

Kaden Rozdeba answered with a three-run shot of his own for the Vikings in the bottom of the inning but Lacey launched his second in the next half inning.

Diesel Goya provided a solo shot for VCSU in the fifth to cut BU's lead to 9-6.

A pair of eighth inning errors led to two more runs and an 11-6 Bruin advantage.

Goya drove home a run with a sac fly in the eighth and the Bruins made a pitching change later in the frame. Rozdeba greeted Bruin reliever Teron Williams with a double to bring home another run before Velasco went yard to make it a one-run ballgame.

Bellevue loaded the bases in the ninth before Tanner put the game away with a bases-clearing double to stretch the advantage to 14-10.

Williams worked around a pair of base-runners in the ninth to nail down the victory.

Gavin Wuschke (4-2) went five innings to earn the win, allowing five runs on seven hits, striking out three and walking two.

Andrew Kim (1-1) took the loss for VCSU, surrendering six runs – five earned – on six hits to go with a pair of walks and strikeouts in four innings of work.

Up Next:

Bellevue hosts (RV) Morningside University (22-4-1) on Tuesday, Apr. 1 from John Stella Field at Brown Park with first pitch slated for 4 p.m.