Bruins settle for split with Comets
After a recording a resounding 10-1 victory in the opener, the Bellevue University softball team saw its five-game winning streak halted with a 6-5 loss to Mayville State University in the nightcap Sunday afternoon at Roy Smith Field in North Star Athletic Association action.
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
OMAHA, Neb. -- After a recording a resounding 10-1 victory in the opener, the Bellevue University softball team saw its five-game winning streak halted with a 6-5 loss to Mayville State University in the nightcap Sunday afternoon at Roy Smith Field in North Star Athletic Association action.
BU moved to 17-11 on the season and 3-1 in NSAA play following the split. MSU is now 8-8 overall and 1-3 in league play.
The Bruins will host Mount Marty College on Wed., Mar. 27 in a 3 p.m. non-conference doubleheader at Roy Smith Field.
Game 1: Bellevue 10, Mayville State 1
Erin Sharpe drove in five runs on two home runs to lead BU to the 10-1 win in six innings in the opener. Ellie Bliemeister went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs, while Kayla Young drove in two runs in her only at-bat. Bellevue had four home runs in the victory.
On the Bruins' first pitch of the game, Bliemeister launched a solo homer over the center field fence to give BU an early 1-0 advantage.
A three-run blast to left field by Sharpe increased the BU lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the third inning.
An RBI single to center field by Maricela Egan pushed the margin to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth frame.
Shaye Kemball led off the top of the sixth with a solo shot to right field to cut the deficit to 5-1.
A two-run homer to left field by Kayla Young and an RBI single to right by Bliemeister pushed the margin to 8-1 in the bottom of the sixth. Sharpe ended the game on a two-run bomb to center field to make the final, 10-1.
Lauren Jurek (1-0) earned the win, scattering four hits with five walks and two strikeouts in five innings of work.
Annika Seedborg (5-3) suffered the loss, giving up seven runs on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts in five innings in the circle.
Game 2: Mayville State 6, Bellevue 5
Despite outhitting the Comets 9-8, the Bruins trailed the entire game before falling, 6-5, in dramatic fashion in the nightcap.
Grace Glotfelty led the BU offense, going 2-for-3 with four RBIs and a home run.
After Amanda Izzo reached first on a dropped third strike, she scored the first run of the game following a pair of passed balls to give the Comets a 1-0 edge in the top of the first.
Alissa Foster's RBI single to left field scored Nicole Bunting from second to give MSU a 2-0 lead in the top of the third.
An error by Sharpe at third base allowed Brooke Roeges to score from third, increasing the Comets' lead to 3-0 in the top of the fourth frame.
The Bruins got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, plating a run on a fielding error by Kemball that allowed Kinman to score from third, cutting the lead to 3-1.
The Comets scored following a fielding error by right fielder Grace Glotfelty to push the MSU edge to 4-1 in the top of the fifth.
After Sharpe and Ashley Young singled, Glotfelty tied the game on a three-run homer to center field in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Monique Ashley, who entered the game in the top of the seventh, issued two-straight walks and following a fielding error and a wild pitch, the Comets took a 6-4 lead.
The Bruins loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh with singles by Randi Henry, Sharpe, and Ashley Young, before a walk to Glotfelty brought BU to within a run at 6-5. Kemball induced a groundout to Ashlyn Teran to preserve the one-run MSU victory.
Ashley (6-6) suffered the loss, giving up two runs in the seventh inning with two strikeouts and two walks.
Kemball (3-3) recorded the complete-game victory, allowing nine hits and five runs with three walks and one strikeout in seven innings in the circle.