BU run-rules USAO to complete series sweep
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
|
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0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 16 | 0 |
OMAHA, Neb. -- Xavier Lerma hit bookend home runs to lead the No. 22-ranked Bellevue University baseball team to a 15-5 victory, and secure a series sweep, over the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon at John Stella Field at Brown Park.
With the victory, the Bruins improve to 5-2 on the year while the Drovers slip to 2-6 in the season's early going.
How It Happened:
Xavier Lerma put the Bruins on the board with a three-run home run in the second and delivered a walk-off two-run shot in the eight to give the Bruins a 15-5 run-rule victory.
Blake King took Bruin starter Garrett White deep for the first run of the game in the top half of the second and USAO answered Lerma's three-run shot with a three-spot of their own in the third to go back in front.
Brady Baltus came on in relief for the Bruins to begin the fourth and retired the first 11 batters he faced before giving up a pinch-hit single to Anthony Hampton in the seventh.
Ayden Makarus blooped a three-run double down the right field line to highlight a five-run fourth as the Bruins jumped back in front.
Carter Claerhout blasted an opposite field three-run bomb in the bomb, his second of the year, to extended the lead. The Bruins added on with RBI-singles from Oak Held and Makarus in the seventh.
Pinch-hitter Brandon Latter singled home Henry Garcia for USAO to make it 13-5. After Dylan Holmes reached via a wild pitch on a strikeout, Lerma hit his second home run of the game to end it early, invoking the 10-run rule.
Top performers:
Bellevue University
Xavier Lerma: 2-5, 2 home runs (2), 5 RBI, 3 runs
Oak Held: 4-5, 2 runs, RBI
Anthony Lind: 3-5, double, 3 runs, RBI
Ayden Makarus: 2-5, double, run, 4 RBI
Brady Baltus: Win (2-0), 5 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 strikeouts
Science & Arts
Blake King: 1-2, solo home run (3), walk
Alfonso Camacho: 1-4, double, RBI
Luke Naranjo: 1.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs
Inside the Numbers:
- Bellevue pounded out a season-high 16 hits with five going for extra-bases.
- Eight of nine Bruin starters recorded at least one hit with five posting multi-hit games.
- BU put up nine two-out runs on the day, including Makarus' game-changing three-run double in the fifth.
- After hitting.220 (11-50) with runners on and .250 (7-28) with runners in scoring position last weekend, Bellevue improved to .367 (18-49) with runners on and .452 (14-31) in RISP situations against USAO.
Up Next:
Bellevue is scheduled to head north along I-29 next weekend for a four-game set in Sioux City, Iowa against Briar Cliff University. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20 and noon on Saturday, Feb. 21 with both days featuring double-header action.