April 20, 2024

OMAHA, Neb. – The North Star Athletic Association baseball regular-season title was decided Saturday afternoon as NAIA's nationally ranked Bellevue (Neb.) swept the crucial four-game series over Dakota State at John Stella Field at Brown Park.  The Bruins earned another doubleheader sweep by the scores of 10-1 in the first game and held off the Trojans by the score of 10-9 in the four-game series finale.

Dakota State fell to 31-14 overall record and 14-6 record in the league (second place in the conference standings).  Bellevue, No. 16 in the latest NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 national poll, raised their overall record to 34-11 and secured their fifth consecutive North Star baseball regular season title.  The Bruins are 19-1 NSAA conference record with one weekend remaining in the conference baseball season.

Two games in the four-game series between Dakota State and Bellevue were decided by one run.

The Trojans look to snap their losing skid as they begin their five-game home stand Tuesday evening.  Dakota State hosts rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) in a nine-inning non-conference game at Flynn Field.  The first pitch is set for 5 p.m. in Madison, S.D.

Game 1 – (16) Bellevue (Neb.) 10, Dakota State (S.D.) 1 – FINAL

Bellevue took the first lead of the game after one-and-half scoreless innings of a seven-inning contest.  Anthony Lind smashed a lead-off solo home run to give BU a 1-0 lead in the bottom second.  The Bruins added another run caused by DSU's defensive error, followed by Takumi Maeno's solo home run to widen their lead to 3-0.

Portner drilled a lead off double in the top third inning for the Trojans.  He advanced to third after a sacrifice bunt by Bubba Thompson.  Jeremy Green followed up with an RBI ground out to score Portner as DSU trailed 3-1.

BU extended their lead to 4-1 in the bottom half of the third inning as Steven Elsner hit an RBI double to score Brendan Luther who hit a single with one out.

Bellevue ballooned their lead to 8-1 in the bottom fourth, thanks to Jake Lacey's grand slam.  The Bruins extended their lead to 10-1 after five innings, capped by Maeno's RBI double.

Dakota State left two runners on base when the game ended, despite a single from Aidan Perry and a walk from Thompson. 

BU outhit DSU 11-6 in the game.  The Trojans committed three defensive errors, while the Bruins did not commit a defensive miscue.

Portner was 2-of-3 at the plate with a double, single and a run scored for Dakota State.  Ryan McDaniel added two singles.  Perry and Thompson each had a hit.  Thompson had a walk. 

Lacey had a home run and drove in a game-high four runs for Bellevue.  Maeno added three hits and two RBIs.  Elsner and Lind each tallied two hits and an RBI.  Luther had two singles.  Nick Grade recorded a single and scored twice.

Will Clair (L, 8-2) took the defeat on the pitching mound for the Trojans.  He pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowed four runs (two unearned) on five hits.  JD Kirchner and Aiden Rocha each pitched in relief.

Blake Crippen (W, 7-1) earned the victory after tossing five innings for the Bruins.  He yielded the Trojans to one run on four hits.  Parker McMan and Easton Brinton each pitched one scoreless inning in relief.

Game 2 – (16) Bellevue (Neb.) 10, Dakota State (S.D.) 9 – FINAL

A total of seven home runs were hit in the four-game series finale, with four home runs coming from Dakota State and three home runs from Bellevue.

Perry blasted a 2-run home run with two outs for a 2-0 lead in the top second frame, scoring Walker Hultgren who recorded a walk.

The Bruins answered with three runs in the bottom half of the second inning.  Grade registered a walk, followed by CJ Townsend's hit-by-pitch and another walk by Maeno to set up a bases loaded situation. 

Lacey collected an RBI hit-by-pitch to score Grade, followed by Logan Grant's 2-RBI double to score Townsen and Maeno for Bellevue 3-2 lead in the bottom second.

The Bruins' lead grew to 5-2 in the bottom third inning after a pair of runs scored caused by DSU's defensive error on the same play.

DSU ended their scoring drought with three runs in the top fifth to knot the game.  Cory Brownson and McDaniel hit back-to-back singles with two outs.  Cameron DeMaria smashed a 3-run home run to tie the game at 5-5, scoring Brownson and catcher's courtesy runner Seth Altwine.  It was DeMaria's third home run this season.

BU answered with three runs in the bottom fifth, thanks to back-to-back home runs.  Lacey hit a 2-run home run followed by Grant's solo home run to make it 8-5 in favor of Bellevue.

The Trojans cut the Bruins' lead to 8-6 as Thompson blasted a solo home run with two outs in the top sixth frame.  It was his second home run this season for DSU.

Ned Ceklic blasted a solo home run to lead off the top eighth inning as Dakota State trailed 8-7.  It was his fourth home run this season.

DSU tied the game with another run scored in the top eighth.  With Perry on second base and Portner on first base, Green hit an RBI single to score Perry to tie the game for the third time at 8-8.

Elsner hit a 2-run home run in the bottom eighth to break the 8-8 tie into 10-8 Bellevue lead.

DeMaria was hit-by-pitch with one out in the top ninth inning for Dakota State.  Michael Buchmann, pinch runner for DeMaria, advanced to second base after Ceklic's ground out.

Hultgren reached safely on base after a defensive error by the Bruins, allowing Buchmann to score as the Trojans trimmed the Bruins' lead to 10-9 (Hultgren advanced to second base on the same play on BU's error).  Hultgren advanced to third base after BU's wild pitch but was unable to tie the game as BU closed the game with the final out.

Both Dakota State and Bellevue recorded 10 hits in the game.  The Bruins left eight runners on base compared to the Trojans seven runners left on base. 

DeMaria hit a home run and drove in three runs for DSU.  Thompson added a home run, single and an RBI.  Perry recorded a home run, two RBIs, and scored twice.  Green had two singles and an RBI.  Ceklic recorded a home run, RBI, and a walk.  Portner and McDaniel each recorded a single.

Grant was 4-of-5 at the plate with a home run, double, two singles, and three RBIs for BU.  Lacey had a home run and three RBIs.  Elsner had a home run, single, and two RBIs.  Maeno tallied a double and scored twice.

Nicholai Arbach started the game on the pitching mound for Dakota State.  He worked for 1 1/3 inning.  Curtis Flint tossed 2 2/3 innings in relief with four strikeouts.  Aiden Urbom also worked in relief.  Kirchner (L, 3-2) took the defeat after pitching three innings in relief, allowing two runs on two hits.  Johan Freudenburg worked the final two scoreless outs in the bottom eighth.

Gavin Wuschke pitched five innings for Bellevue.  He gave up five runs on seven hits.  Jace Wessels tossed two innings in relief.  Cade Hermann also worked for two outs in the top eighth inning.  Teron Williams (W, 3-0) earned the victory after tossing 1 1/3 innings, giving up an unearned run.