BASEBALL SWEEPS AGAIN; EXTENDS WINNING STREAK TO EIGHT
March 18, 2008

Bulldog Sophomore Troy Burki pitch four scoreless innings in helping Bellevue to record a second straight weekend sweep.

The Bellevue Community College baseball team has continued their winning ways, winning three games over the weekend, all against different opponents, to raise their record to 9-2 on the season.

On Saturday, March 15 the Bulldogs kicked off their home schedule by holding on to defeat Lower Columbia 7-6 in the lone contest of the afternoon. The second game in the scheduled double header was canceled due to weather. BCC fell behind early giving up 5 runs in the second inning. Bellevue got on the board in the third inning when sophomore Kyle Laukala manufactured a run on the base paths, reaching on an error and scoring on a sac fly off the bat of sophomore Jeff Hanna. After trading runs in the fourth, the Bulldogs found themselves down 6-2 going into the bottom of the fifth in what proved to be the decisive inning. Hanna and sophomore Kyle Decater led off with back-to-back singles leading to a Hanna run plated by another single from sophomore Connor Rankin. With Decater in scoring position, sophomore Nick Johnson laced a single up the middle to bring Bellevue within 2. After a pitching change, freshman Keegan Acker provided a huge hit, doubling home Rankin and Johnson to knot the game at 6. In his second at-bat of the inning, Hanna once again singled, this time scoring Acker in what would be the game winning run. Sophomore Ryan Davis got the start giving up 2 earned runs in 5 innings while striking out 3 to pick up the win. Sophomore Brad Reid was phenomenal out of the ‘pen, tossing 4 scoreless innings giving up only 3 hits while striking out 5 to pick up the save.

The Bulldogs were involved in another close one on Sunday, March 16, taking on the Prairie Baseball Club out of Canada at Yakima CC. In another 1-run thriller, BCC held on for the victory 3-2. Bellevue took advantage of an early error and used heads-up base running to get on the board first when Acker scored on a wild pitch to take a 1-0 first inning lead. With the Bulldogs still ahead 1-0 in the fourth, Acker once again left his mark singling home freshman Brett Dvorak and doubling the Bulldog lead at 2-0. In the top of the sixth, BCC got what would prove to be the deciding run when sophomore Jason Moseby scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of freshman Ryan Shelton. Sophomore Troy Burki pitched 4 scoreless innings in the start giving up only 3 hits and striking out 5. Picking up the win was freshman Kyle Pearson who pitched 2 strong innings, striking out 3. Freshman Jeremy Zink earned the save pitching 3 innings of no-hit ball striking out 3.

In the weekend finale, Bellevue coasted to a 7-1 victory over Yakama Valley CC. The Bulldogs scored first, taking an early 1-0 lead after a leadoff walk to Hanna led to a run after an RBI groundout by sophomore Marc Schuermeyer. Bellevue plated two more in the second inning. After loading the bases with no outs, freshman Riley Tompkins and Nick Johnson both came around to score increasing the early lead to 3-0. Schuermeyer led the fifth inning off with a double and a stolen base leading to a run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of freshman Michael Robertson for a 4-1 lead. Tompkins added another run in the sixth after leading off the inning with a single and Moseby also came around to score on an RBI single by Hanna to take a 6-1 lead. BCC added their final run of the afternoon when Moseby singled home freshman Hunter Beaty, who had led off the inning with a double. Freshman Cody Goodfellow started the game, pitching 4 innings and giving up only 1 hit and 1 run. Picking up the win was sophomore Stephen Foster who struck out 2 in 1 inning of relief. Sophomore Chad Mautner shored up the middle innings throwing 3 innings of no-hit baseball. Freshman Brent Miller picked up the save, pitching a perfect 9th inning.