Bruins score in three straight innings to top Bulldogs, 8-2

BELLEVUE, Neb. — Bellevue University pounded out 14 hits and scored in three-straight innings to defeat Concordia (Neb.) University, 8-2, in non-conference action on Wednesday at the Renner Dennis Outdoor Athletic Complex.

The Bruins improved to 12-13 overall, while the Bulldogs fell to 12-9.

How It Happened

Both pitchers retired the side in order in the first, and the game remained scoreless through two before the Bulldogs took the lead in the top of the third. Avery O'Boyle's two-out RBI single to right field plated Grace Zaugg, who had reached on a single and advanced twice on outs, to give CU a 1-0 lead.

Bellevue answered with a three-run bottom of the third that produced the lead for good. Laila Fiscus, who entered as a pinch runner for Daniela Ramirez, and Kaitlyn Fisher both scored on Marguerite Brown's two-run triple down the right-field line before Breanne McMurtry's RBI single to second plated Brown and stretched the advantage to 3-1. A double by Miranda Garcia chased Kaylei Denison from the circle, but the inning ended without further damage.

Two more runs in the fourth pushed the lead to 5-1, with Mariah Unverzagt and McMurtry each delivering RBI hits to cap a two-run sequence.

Bellevue's most productive inning came in the fifth, a three-run burst that pushed the advantage to 8-1. Fisher's two-run triple to left center scored Ramirez and Leslie Egan, and Brown followed with an RBI single to right to plate Fisher and cap the surge.

The Bulldogs trimmed the deficit to 8-2 in the sixth on Aubriana Krieser's RBI double to left center, which scored Tobi Topp. Unverzagt closed out the seventh with a perfect inning, retiring the Bulldogs in order and ending the game on a swinging strikeout.

Bertolini earned the win, improving to 4-5. She worked six innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs without issuing a walk. Unverzagt threw a perfect seventh, striking out one. Denison absorbed the loss, falling to 7-5 after surrendering nine hits and three earned runs over 3.2 innings. Linn allowed five earned runs on five hits over 2.1 frames.

Inside the Numbers

• Bellevue: 8 runs on 14 hits, 1 error, 8 LOB; Concordia: 2 runs on 5 hits, 0 errors, 4 LOB
• Bellevue went 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position; Concordia went 1-for-6
• Eight of BU's nine starters recorded at least one hit on the night
• BU's 14-hit output was the third-highest single-game team total of the season
• The Bruins improved to 3-2 at home

Top Performers

Bellevue University

• Kaitlyn Fisher — 2-for-4, 3B, 3 R, 2 RBI
• Marguerite Brown — 3-for-4, 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI
• Breanne McMurtry — 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• Miranda Garcia — 2-for-4, 2B
• Mariah Unverzagt — 1-for-4, 1 RBI; 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Carly Bertolini — W (4-5), 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Concordia (Neb.) University

• Aubriana Krieser — 2-for-3, 2B, 1 RBI
• Kaylei Denison — L (7-5), 3.2 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Up Next

The Bruins will travel to Fargo, N.D., Saturday-Sunday, March 28-29, for a four-game Frontier Conference series against Mayville State University. Saturday's doubleheader will begin at 2 p.m., and first pitch on Sunday will be at noon. All four games will be played at Tharaldson Park on the North Dakota State University campus.