Grant breaks home run record as Bruins complete sweep

OMAHA, Neb. -- Logan Grant's walk-off home run in game one broke the program's career home run record and the Bellevue University baseball team run-ruled Dickinson State University in game two to finish off a four-game North Star Athletic Association sweep of the Blue Hawks.

Bellevue improves to 23-11 with their 11^th-straight victory while remaining perfect in NSAA play, moving to 8-0. Dickinson State falls to 11-22 overall and 3-5 in conference play.

Game One: BU 6, DSU 5

Trailing 5-4 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Logan Grant unleashed on an 0-1 pitch, belting his 45^th career home run over the wall in right-center to break the BU career home run record, surpassing Riley Baasch (2017-21) for the mark and giving the Bruins a walk-off victory.

Logan Braaten staked Dickinson State to a 1-0 lead with an RBI-double in the second but Bellevue quickly responded with a run-scoring double from Ayden Makarus who came in to score one batter later on CJ Townsend's opposite field single.

The teams traded runs in the third with Luis Rodriguez singling home a run for DSU and Grant delivering a sac fly for the Bruins.

Anthony Lind came home on a double play ball in the fourth as Bellevue doubled their advantage to 4-2.

Neither team scored in the fifth and Ty Farwell put the Blue Hawks ahead with a pinch-hit three-run homer in the sixth.

Bellevue threatened in the home half of the sixth, loading the bases with nobody out but a strikeout and another double play saw DSU escape the inning clinging to a one-run lead.

Teron Williams (2-2) worked around a one-out double in the seventh and struck out a pair to keep Bellevue within striking distance as he earned the win.

Patrick Dietz (0-3), who got the twin-killing in the sixth, took the loss. Balas Buckmaster led off the seventh with a pinch-hit single and pinch-runner Jaylan Ruffin took second on a sac bunt by Scott Hansen. A strikeout for the second out brought Grant to the plate who, after fouling off the first pitch he saw, delivered the heroics.

Game Two: BU 12, DSU 2 (7 Inn.)

Anthony Lind's 3-for-4 effort paced four Bruins hitters with multi-hit games as all nine starters recorded a base knock. Jake Lacey (2-3, 2B, 3B) and Elijah Tanner (2-4) each drove in a pair of runs and scored a pair of runs. Balas Buckmaster went 2-for-4 with a double, four RBI, and scored the game-ending run.

Bellevue struck for a pair of runs in the first on an RBI-double from Jake Lacey and an errant throw on a pick-off attempt.

The Bruins tacked on four more in the third with a two-run single by Tanner, bases-loaded walk to Ayden Makarus, and an infield single by Buckmaster.

Lacey tripled home Steven Elsner in the fourth and CJ Townsend singled home Lind in the fifth as the Bruins tacked on a pair in the middle innings.

Dickinson State scored a run in the fifth on a failed back-pick and Wyatt Wilharm hit a solo home run in the sixth to account for the Blue Hawk scoring.

Buckmaster's bases-clearing double in the seventh brought home three more and Scott Hansen delivered the game-ending hit with a line drive down the right field line.

Gavin Wuschke (5-2) struck out eight in six innings of work to earn the win. He limited the Blue Hawks to two runs – one earned – while scattering seven hits. Brody Burnette worked a scoreless inning of relief.

Trent Richter (3-2) took the loss for DSU, allowing six runs on five hits in three innings. He struck out three and walked two.

Up Next:

Bellevue entertains Midland University (12-21) on Wednesday, Apr. 9 for a 7 p.m. non-conference affair from John Stella Field at Brown Park.