Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University hosted No. 5 Bellevue University in an early-week non-conference matchup on Monday at Historic Moller Field. The Warriors battled the Bruins through the early innings and threatened the visitors late, taking the 9-6 loss at home. The setback drops Midland to 16-18 overall on the season while Bellevue’s record jumps up to 30-6 on the year.
Yealex Lopez earned a walk in the bottom of the 1st and quickly stole second. With one out, Connor Petersen singled to center field and then the bases loaded up full of Warriors as Alec Villanueva earned a free pass. After a wild pitch by the Bruins’ starter, Villanueva raced home to put the first run of the game on the board. The Warriors took the early lead of 1-0.
After a scoreless 2nd inning, the Bruins brought the game to a 1-1 tie with a single and double in the top of the 3rd. The Bruins struck their bats again in the 5th inning, scoring three runs off of four hits, taking their first lead 4-1.
With two outs in the bottom of the 5th, Hadyn Crawford kept the Warriors alive with a single through the left side. Petersen carried the energy as he doubled to left field to put two Warriors in scoring position. Villanueva brought Petersen home with a single and Crawford came in via a throwing error as they attempted a late throw to get the out at first.
The Bruins extended their lead in the 6th as they scored an unearned run after a one-out single followed by a stolen base and a two-out error.
Trey Nichols hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 6th over the left field fence, keeping Midland within striking distance.
Bellevue fired up their bats in the 7th and 8th inning with back-to-back two-run homers to left field to increase its lead to 7-4 heading into the final inning.
After keeping the Bruins at bay in the top of the 9th, the game started to tilt in the Warriors’ favor in the bottom. Crawford opened up the final inning with a single to shortstop and then the reliever for the Bruins hit the next two batters, Petersen, who was pinch-ran for by Ben Kirkland, and Villanueva.
With the bases loaded up full of Warriors, Jayden Gibson singled through the left side to bring Crawford home. Opting for a quicker runner, Brandon Creps came on as a courtesy runner.
Tyler Foster, who came on as a defensive replacement in the top of the inning, earned a pass to first as he became the third Warrior to wear a pitch in the inning, bringing in Kirkland from third.
With the bases still full, the winning run came up to the plate in the form of Trey Rodriguez. The Bruins’ pitcher settled in and was able to earn the strikeout as they escaped a potential meltdown.
Statistical Standouts
- Trey Nichols: 1-for-3, R, RBI, HR
- Hadyn Crawford: 2-for-5, 2 R
- Alec Villanueva: 1-for-3, RBI
- Jayden Gibson: 1-for-5, RBI
- Connor Petersen: 2-for-4, R, 2B
Midland (16-18, 8-8 GPAC) will take a short trip up to Sioux City, Iowa, as they return to conference play with a doubleheader against Morningside (25-8, 11-3 GPAC) this weekend. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 15 at MercyOne Field.
