Bellevue College baseball surprised the onlookers of the NWAC this weekend as the only lower-seeded team to earn a championship berth this weekend in the NWAC Super Regionals. The third-seeded Bulldogs defeated second seed and host Umpqua Community College in a loser out game 2-1 at Champion Car Wash Field in Roseburg, OR.
The ‘dogs went 3-1 over the weekend in the three-team Super Regional. On Friday May 17, Bellevue opened the tourney with a 3-2 win over the West Region fourth seed, Clark College. The Penguins took a 2-1 in the second on a base hit and throwing error by starting pitcher Micah Hagler. The righty would then cruise, tossing a two-hitter through seven innings. With the score tied 2-2, the Bulldogs loaded the bases with two outs and took advantage of an error to go up 3-2. Chase Archibald came in to toss two shutout innings to seal the win. The Bulldogs earned a hard-fought win as the Penguins used both top starters, all-leaguers Brock Roundy and Zach Hauser in the loser out battle.
Following the dramatic opening win, Bellevue’s Tristan Aasland battled top seed and host Umpqua and their ace, Logan Robinson. In a classic pitcher’s duel, Bellevue won 1-0, taking advantage of a rare leadoff walk by Robinson to Ryker Fortier. Drew de la Cruz would move him over to second before Ollie Hogan delivered the RBI single for the game’s lone run. Robinson, other than the leadoff walk miscue, was near perfect for the Riverhawks, tossing only 83 pitches in a complete game. Aasland was more dominant in the battle of two of the top freshmen arms in the NWAC, finishing with 11 strikeouts while allowing only four hits.
Leading 1-0 in the best-of-three series with Umpqua, defensive miscues gave the Riverhawks a 3-0 win on Saturday May 18. Konnor Sutton was two-for-four, but the ‘dogs managed only four hits.
With the series tied 1-1, game three was yet another pitchers’ duel. BC’s R’Mani Adams and Ethan Thomas did not disappoint as Adams went six and a third innings giving up only one run before Thomas entered and finished the game to seal a dramatic 2-1 win. Tyson Schertenleib connected on a two-out double to the wall in right field before Brandon McKinley knocked the game-winning hit down the third base line to put Bellevue fans into pandemonium. Thomas struck out the first two hitters before a two-out single gave the Riverhawks a glimmer of hope. A routine ground ball to Fortier ended the game and punched the Bulldogs’ ticket to the NWAC Championships.
Bellevue’s pitchers gave up only one earned run through 36 innings over the weekend to lead BC to it’s second consecutive berth to the NWAC Championships. The Bulldogs will battle against West Region champion, Tacoma, in a re-match of the opening game of last year’s NWAC Championships.
Last Updated May 18, 2024
