BU stays alive as Brown powers Bruins past Mystics

DICKINSON, N.D. — Marguerite Brown went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, three runs, and three RBIs to power No. 6 seed Bellevue University past No. 4 seed Bismarck State College 8-4 Friday in an elimination game at the Frontier Conference Tournament at Bravera Field at the Sanford Sports Complex.

The Bruins improved to 23-28 and eliminated the Mystics, who ended their season at 19-32.

How It Happened

BSC struck first with three runs in the top of the second. Jordyn Marcoux opened the inning with a walk, Jada Walter moved her to second with a sacrifice bunt, and Tayler Falcon followed with a single. After Lexi Wesson was hit by a pitch to load the bases, McKenzie Yantzer drove in Marcoux with a groundout. Falcon scored on a wild pitch, and Savannah Gustavsson added an RBI single to right field to give the Mystics a 3-0 lead.

Bellevue got one run back in the bottom half. Leslie Egan singled to right field, Miranda Garcia walked, and Savannah Short advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Emma Crisman followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Egan and cutting the deficit to 3-1.

The Mystics added a run in the third after Leah Rolland singled, stole second and third, and scored on Marcoux's RBI single to left field. BU answered in the bottom of the inning when Brown doubled to left field, moved to third on Daniela Ramirez's single, and scored on Breanne McMurtry's fielder's choice to make it 4-2.

Bellevue's relief pitching kept the game within reach from there. Ramirez worked around a one-out single in the fourth, and Ellie Zoucha escaped trouble in the fifth after BSC put two runners aboard with one out. Zoucha struck out Walter before Falcon singled, but Brynn Arnold was thrown out at the plate on the play to end the inning.

The Bruins broke through with a four-run fifth. Mariah Unverzagt opened the inning with a double to center field, and Brown drove her in with a single. Ramirez followed with a single before McMurtry reached on an error in right field, allowing Brown to score and tying the game at 4-4. Ramirez came home on a wild pitch to give BU its first lead, and Egan lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score McMurtry and extend the advantage to 6-4.

Bellevue added two more runs in the sixth. Kaitlyn Fisher singled with one out, and Unverzagt reached on a fielder's choice. Brown then drove a two-run home run to right field, pushing the lead to 8-4.

Carly Bertolini handled the final two innings to secure the save. She retired the Mystics in order in the sixth and worked around a two-out single in the seventh to close the game.

Zoucha earned the win in relief, improving to 5-6 after throwing one scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Bertolini earned her third save of the season, allowing one hit over two scoreless innings with one strikeout. Unverzagt started and allowed three runs on two hits in two innings, while Ramirez allowed one run on three hits over two innings. Kya Kulzer took the loss for BSC, falling to 5-9.

Inside the Numbers

• Bellevue: 8 runs on 9 hits, 1 error, 5 LOB; BSC: 4 runs on 8 hits, 2 errors, 6 LOB.
• Bellevue went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position; BSC went 4-for-10.
• The Bruins scored four runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth after trailing 4-2 through four innings.
• Brown finished with seven total bases and had three of BU's nine hits.
• The Bruin bullpen held the Mystics scoreless over the final four innings.

Top Performers

Bellevue University

• Marguerite Brown — 3-for-4, double, home run, 3 runs, 3 RBIs
• Mariah Unverzagt — 2-for-4, double, 2 runs; 2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Daniela Ramirez — 2-for-4, 1 run; 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Leslie Egan — 1-for-3, 1 run, 1 RBI
• Ellie Zoucha — W, 5-6; 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Carly Bertolini — SV, 3; 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Bismarck State College

• Grace Grimm — 2-for-4
• Tayler Falcon — 2-for-3, 1 run
• Jordyn Marcoux — 1-for-2, 1 run, 1 RBI, 2 BB
• Savannah Gustavsson — 1-for-4, 1 RBI
• McKenzie Yantzer — 1-for-3, 1 RBI

Up Next

Bellevue will play at noon (CT) Saturday in another elimination game against the winner of Friday night's final game between Valley City State and Carroll.