Bruins sweep triple header, series from DSU

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Bruin pitching limited Dickinson State University to just five runs over three games as the No. 3-ranked Bellevue University baseball team extended their win streak to 19 games with a triple header sweep of the Blue Hawks on Monday at the Renner Dennis Outdoor Athletic Complex.

Despite being out-hit in two of three games on the day, BU won by scores of 2-1 in eight innings, 8-3, and 3-1. With the sweep, the Bruins to improve to 31-3 overall and remain perfect at 11-0 in Frontier Conference play. The sweep drops DSU to 16-18 overall and 3-8 in the Frontier Conference.

Game One: BU 2, DSU 1 (8 innings)

Carter Claerhout chased in Nick Gravel with a sac fly for the go-ahead run in the eighth, breaking a 1-1 tie, and lifting the Bruins to a series-opening victory.

The teams traded runs in the second inning. Dylan Holmes recorded the first triple at the new ballpark and came home on a squeeze bunt from Mason Spellecy with the game's first run.

Ramon Teran singled home Logan Braaten in the bottom half of the frame to knot the score up at 1-1.

Brody Burnette came on to relieve Cannon Close who loaded the bases while only recording one out in the seventh. After falling behind Wyatt Wilharm 2-0, Burnette induced a ground ball to Oak Held at third who fired home and Xavier Lerma made a quick catch and turn to double up Wilharm at first to push the game to extras.

Gravel led off the eighth with a bloop double to right and advanced to third on a sac bunt from Held before scoring on the sac fly from Claerhout.

Burnette (2-0) worked around a two-out single from Kaden Finders and a wild pitch, striking out two in the frame to nail down the victory.

Kenji Miller worked six innings, scattering seven hits but allowing just one run and striking out eight against a pair of walks.

Mason Lunzman took the tough-luck loss, going 7.2 innings allowing two runs on six hits with six strikeouts and a pair of walks.

Game Two: BU 8, DSU 3

A five-run sixth saw Bellevue break open a pitcher's duel en route to an 8-3 victory behind another strong start on the mound.

Game two followed a familiar script with a pair of early runs. Ayden Makarus put BU on the board in the top of the first with a single scoring Nick Gravel and Jaden Salazar answered with a solo home run in the second for DSU while the score remained 1-1 into the sixth.

Mason Spellecy put the Bruins ahead in the sixth with a double to left center to score Jackson Polk with the go-ahead run. Gravel singled home a pair of runs before a wild pitch allowed Jaylan Ruffin to score and Gravel came around on a sac fly from Claerhout.

Brayden Andersen and Brady Baltus combined on the victory for the Bruins. Andersen limited the Blue Hawks to a run on four hits, striking out six against four walks in five innings on the hill. Tate Williams took the loss for Dickinson State, allowing six runs on eight hits over 5.1, striking out five and walking four.

Consecutive RBI-doubles from Anthony Lind and Jaylan Ruffin in the seventh saw the Bruins tack on a pair of insurance runs to cement the victory.

Game Three: BU 3, DSU 1

Reid Madariaga tossed a complete game, four-hitter while striking out a season-high 12 as Bellevue finished off the series sweep of Dickinson State with a 3-1 victory.

Dickinson State struck for a run in the opening inning when Luis Rodriguez singled home Jace Buchanan but the Blue Hawks managed just two hits the rest of the way as Madariaga settled in on the bump.

Trailing 1-0 in the third, Nick Gravel drew a leadoff walk before Oak Held tripled down the right field line to tie the game. Carter Claerhout followed with a sac fly to bring home held with the go-ahead run.

One inning later, Anthony Lind reached on an error that allowed Dylan Holmes to score from second making the score 3-1.

Dickinson State added base runners in the fourth and fifth but were unable to solve Madariaga for additional runs.

Patrick Dietz threw well for DSU, holding BU to three runs (two earned) on two hits while striking out four and walking two in five innings.

Top Performers:

Bellevue University

Reid Madariaga: Win (3-0), CG, 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 12 SO, 2 BB
Kenji Miller: ND, 6 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 8 SO, 2 BB
Brayden Andersen: Win (7-0), 5 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 8 SO, 4 BB
Carter Claerhout: 4-8, 2 doubles, 3 RBI
Dylan Holmes: 3-7, triple, 2 runs

Dickinson State University

Mason Lunzman: Loss (6-2), 7.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 6 SO, 2 BB
Patrick Dietz: Loss (2-4), 5 IP, 3 R (2 ER, 2 Hits, 4 SO, 2 BB
Ramon Teran: 4-10, RBI, run
Jace Buchanan: 6-10, 2 runs
Luis Rodrigues: 3-8, 2 RBI

Up Next

Bellevue is next scheduled to play Mayville State University this weekend in a four-game Frontier Conference series. Originally scheduled for North Dakota, the series will likely move to BU but a formal announcement is expected sometime tomorrow or Wednesday.