Bruins split Friday twin-bill with Dak State

MADISON, S.D. -- On Friday afternoon, the No. 24-ranked Bellevue University baseball team found themselves on either end of a pair of shutouts as they split a double-header at Dakota State University.

Bellevue saw their 17-game win streak snapped in the opener and after the day, now stand at 30-12 and 13-1 in North Star play. Dakota State sees their record move to 21-19 overall and 7-7 in league action.

Game One: DSU 1, BU 0

Nicholai Arbach out-dueled Parker McMan as Dakota State dealt the Bruins their first conference loss of the season.

Dawson Portner's two-out solo home run in the third was the lone blemish on McMan's (5-2) line. McMan punched out a career-high 11 batters in six innings while scattering four hits.

Singles from Scott Hansen and Elijah Tanner was all BU could muster against Arbach (6-3).

Arbach struck out nine Bruins in seven innings of work.

Neither pitcher offered up a walk.

Game Two: BU 5, DSU 0

Steven Elsner homered twice to re-take the team home run lead, launching solo blasts in the first and third innings to extend his total to 16 for the year.

Bellevue scored another in the second. Ayden Makarus tripled with two out and came in to score on a bunt from Nick Gravel.

Jace Wessels (4-0) carried a perfect game into the sixth until Dawson Portner broke up his bid for history with a two-out infield single.

Sam Tyrpa (3-6) worked 6.1 innings, keeping the Trojans in the game until surrendering the add-on runs in the seventh. CJ Townsend dropped down a bunt on a squeeze play to score Makarus from third and Scott Hansen doubled home Gravel one batter later, to give BU a 5-0 advantage.

Tyrpa's final line saw him charged with five runs (four earned) on six hits. He struck out six and walked one.

Dakota State saw their best scoring chance come in the home half of the seventh. Hunter Vikemyr doubled down the right field line but Gravel turned and fired a relay throw from Anthony Lind to the awaiting Logan Grant at home where Grant applied the tag in plenty of time to retire Cameron DeMaria for the final out of the frame.

Wessels finished off his 105-pitch, three-hit shutout with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He finished with seven strike outs and issued just one walk.

Up Next:

Bellevue and Dakota State conclude their series tomorrow with another double-header beginning at noon.