Bruin bats stay hot to wrap up four-game sweep of VCSU

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The No. 4-ranked Bellevue University baseball team showcased a relentless offensive display on Sunday afternoon, extending its winning streak to 15 games and completing a four-game Frontier Conference series sweep of Valley City State University on Sunday afternoon.

The Bruins took care of business at the Renner Dennis Outdoor Athletic Complex with a 12-2 victory in the opener before outlasting the Vikings in an 18-9 slugfest in the series finale.

With the sweep, Bellevue improves to 27-3 overall and maintains a perfect 8-0 mark in Frontier Conference play. Meanwhile, Valley City State falls to 14-15 (1-7 FC) after suffering its seventh consecutive loss.

Game One: Bellevue 12, VCSU 2

The first game of the twin bill was defined by the long ball and a lights-out performance from starting pitcher Brayden Andersen. Bellevue relied on a balanced offensive attack that saw four different players leave the yard.

After a scoreless first inning, Bellevue's Xavier Lerma broke the ice in the bottom of the second with a solo home run to center field. Moments later, Mason Spellecy doubled the lead with a solo shot of his own to left-center. The Bruins added two more in the third when Carter Claerhout led off with a home run to right-center, followed by a sacrifice fly from Dylan Holmes that brought home Ayden Makarus, who had doubled earlier in the frame.

The Vikings struggled to find any rhythm against Andersen, who allowed just four hits through the first four innings. Valley City State finally broke through in the top of the fifth when Cam Pero and Cody Wielgosh hit back-to-back solo home runs to cut the deficit to 4-2.

Bellevue's response was overwhelming in the bottom of the fourth as the Bruins exploded for eight runs. The outburst was fueled by a combination of disciplined plate appearances and power. After three consecutive walks and a hit batter forced in two runs, Mason Spellecy laced a two-run single to left field. Anthony Lind then capped the scoring with a three-run home run to left field, pushing the lead to 12-2.

Andersen (6-0) earned the complete-game victory, striking out eight batters and allowing only two earned runs. Grady Shipman took the loss for VCSU, surrendering nine runs (six earned) in 3.1 innings of work.

Game Two: Bellevue 18, VCSU 9

The series finale was a back-and-forth affair that eventually devolved into a blowout courtesy of a 10-run seventh inning by the Bellevue offense.

Bellevue jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when Ayden Makarus homered to left field. They extended that lead to 5-0 in the third inning on a three-run blast by Xavier Lerma.

The Vikings, however, clawed their way back into the game. Nick Senn put VCSU on the board in the fourth with a two-run home run, and a two-run single by Merik Junker in the fifth pulled the Vikings within a single run at 5-4.

After Bellevue's Oak Held hit his first home run of the game in the bottom of the fifth to make it 6-4, Valley City State mounted a furious rally. Jackson Penner drove in a run in the sixth, and the Vikings exploded for four runs in the top of the seventh. RBI singles from Brady Papineau, Cam Pero, and Grady Shipman—combined with a wild pitch that scored Diesel Goya—gave VCSU a 9-6 lead and momentum heading into the final frames.

That momentum vanished in the bottom of the seventh. The Bruins sent 14 batters to the plate, scoring 10 runs on six hits to reclaim a 16-9 lead. Oak Held was the catalyst, hitting two home runs in the inning alone: a game-tying three-run shot to left field and a two-run blast to right field later in the frame. Carter Claerhout also homered in the inning, while Nick Gravel contributed a two-run double.

Bellevue added two insurance runs in the eighth on Anthony Lind's second home run of the day. Held finished the game 3-for-5 with three home runs and six RBI. Gravel was 4-for-5 from the leadoff spot with three runs scored and a pair of doubles.

Brady Baltus (7-1) was credited with the win after 1.1 scoreless innings of relief work. Ivan Simbulan (0-1) took the loss for the Vikings after being unable to record an out during the seventh-inning onslaught.

Additional Notes:

• Carter Claerhout has now homered in five-straight games, all five games BU has play at the Renner Dennis Outdoor Athletic Complex
• Xavier Lerma has now homered in four-straight games, every game in which he has registered a plate appearance at the RDOAC
• Oak Held's three-home run game in the series finale is the first by a Bruin since Logan Grant against Mayville State on Apr. 13, 2024

Top Performers:

Bellevue University

Carter Claerhout: 5-7, 2 HR (12, 13), 2 RBI, 4 runs scored, 2 walks
Ayden Makarus: 3-6, HR (10), 3 RBI, double, 5 runs scored, 3 walks
Nick Gravel: 3-7, 3 doubles, 2 RBI, 4 runs scored
Xavier Lerma: 2-5, 2 HR (10, 11), 5 RBI, 3 runs scored
Oak Held: 3 HR (5, 6, 7), 6 RBI, 3 runs scored
Anthony Lind: 3-8, 2 HR (4, 5), 6 RBI, 3 runs scored
Brayden Andersen: CG Win (6-0), 7 IP, 2 ER, 8 SO, 2 BB, 6 Hits

Valley City State University

Nick Senn: 3-7, HR (4), 2 RBI, run scored
Alexis Velasco: 3-8, run scored
Brady Papineau: 3-8, RBI, 2 runs scored
Cam Pero: 2-7, HR (2), 2 RBI, 3 runs scored

Up Next:

The Bruins return home to the Renner Dennis Outdoor Athletic Complex on Tuesday, Mar. 31 when they entertain York University (13-20) for a 3 p.m. first pitch.