BU clinches NSAA regular-season title with sweep at DSU

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

NSAA Standings

MADISON, S.D. -- The Bellevue University softball team clinched the North Star Athletic Association regular-season title with a doubleheader sweep at Dakota State University Thursday evening at the Thue Softball Complex. 

Bellevue won by scores of 18-16 and 7-1. 

The Bruins, who will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NSAA Tournament, improved to 35-10 on the season and 22-2 in the NSAA. DSU dropped to 12-29 overall and 11-12 in league play.  

The Bruins will host Mayville State University this Saturday-Sunday, April 29-30, in a four-game series at Roy Smith Field in Omaha. Saturday's doubleheader will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday's twin bill will start at noon. 

Game 1: Bellevue 18, Dakota State 16

Bellevue overcame an 11-3 deficit, scoring 15 runs over the last three innings, to pull out an 18-16 victory over the Trojans in the opener.  

The Bruins grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on an RBI double to left field by Reese Floro and a run-scoring single up the middle by Lauren Jurek. 

Hannah McFarland's sacrifice fly to right field scored Carrington Entringer from third, slicing the BU lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the first. 

The Trojans took the lead at 3-2 in the bottom of the second after scoring on an error by BU catcher Lexi Blankenfeld and on McFarland's RBI infield single that plated Entringer. 

DSU erupted for six runs in the bottom of the third to extend the margin to 9-3. The Trojans scored on a pair of bases-loaded hit batsmen, on an RBI single to right field by Sophia Cordova, while also taking advantage of three BU fielding errors. 

Katie Cunningham's solo homer to left-center field cut the deficit to 9-3 in the top of the fourth frame. 

A pair of wild pitches allowed two more Trojan runs in the bottom of the fourth, increasing the DSU advantage to 11-3. 

The Bruins battled back in the top of the fifth, scoring nine runs including a three-run homer to left field by Sami Reding. BU also scored on RBI doubles by Floro and Cunningham, a two-run double to left-center by Liana McMurtry, and an RBI single to right field by Ashley Young, making it 12-11. Reding had a double and a home run in the inning, while Floro recorded a double and a triple in the fifth frame.

BU added a run in the top of the sixth when McMurtry scored on a wild pitch to make it 13-11. 

The Bruins added five runs in the top of the seventh on an RBI double to right field by Floro, a sacrifice fly to left field by McMurtry, and a two-run single down the left-field line by Cunningham, pushing the BU lead to 18-11. 

Jurek replaced Cunningham in the bottom of the seventh after an RBI double to left field by Michelle Evdos brought the Trojans to with six at 18-12. DSU tacked on four more runs, sparked by an RBI single to right-center field by Rosie Philop, a sacrifice fly to right field by Mackenzie Sims, and an RBI single to left field by Rebecca Hazlett, making it 18-16. Jurek struck out Jacquelyn Folkers to end the marathon 34-run contest.  

Bellevue had 11 extra-base hits in the win, including eight doubles, one triple, and two home runs. 

Cunningham earned the win, improving to 11-5 on the season after giving up seven earned runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work. 

Philop (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing six runs on six hits with two walks and no strikeouts in 1.1 innings.  

Game 2: Bellevue 7, Dakota State 1

Lauren Jurek allowed just six hits and one unearned run as BU completed the sweep with the 7-1 victory in the nightcap. 

McMurtry scored on a wild pitch from Cordova and Cunningham came home following a fielding error by DSU shortstop Evdos, to give the Bruins a 2-0 advantage in the top of the second. 

The Bruins doubled the advantage to 4-0 in the top of the third with a bases-loaded walk to McMurtry and a sacrifice fly to right field by Cunningham.

A groundout RBI by Floro scored Reding from third to push the margin to 5-0 in the top of the fourth. 

Hazlett tripled down the right-field line and scored on a fielding error by Cunningham to pull the Trojans to within four runs at 5-1 in the bottom of the fifth frame. 

Cunningham's two-run double to left-center field provided a six-run cushion in the top of the seventh inning. 

Cunningham paced the BU offense in the finale, going 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. 

Jurek improved to 11-2 on the season, striking out seven Trojans in the victory. 

Cordova was tagged with the loss, allowing eight runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 6.2 innings in the circle.