Blue Hawks fall in tight battle with top-seeded Bellevue

DICKINSON, N.D. – Bellevue scored five runs in the sixth and seventh innings Saturday night, breaking open a tight game as they defeated Dickinson State 7-3 in the NSAA Baseball Tournament winner's bracket.
 
Tied 2-2 entering the sixth inning, the Bruins got a go-ahead two-run home run by Jake Lacey and then Logan Grant hit a two-run blast in the seventh inning as the Bruins opened up a 7-3 lead.
 
The Blue Hawks put the lead off runner on base in both the seventh and eighth innings, but could not chip away at the Bruin lead.
 
Bellevue (43-8) advances in the winner's bracket and plays in the championship semifinal at 4 p.m. MDT on Sunday. The winner of that game earns a spot in the tournament championship on Monday night.
 
Dickinson State (21-27) drops into a loser-out game Sunday at 9 a.m. MDT. The Blue Hawks face No. 7 seed Valley City State University, which survived with an 11-1 win over Viterbo on Saturday.
 
Bellevue starter Dustin Schorie gave the Bruins seven innings on the mound, allowing six hits and three runs. He walked one and struck out eight. Kenji Miller pitched the final two innings to secure the victory. Dickinson State put two runners on in the ninth – bringing the tying run to the on-deck circle – but Miller got a comebacker to finish the game.
 
Dickinson State starter Brannan Hogan battled through 8 1/3 innings, scattering seven hits and seven runs. Only three of the runs were earned as Dickinson State was hampered by four errors. Hogan walked only two and struck out nine.
 
Bellevue started the game with single runs in the first and second innings, despite only recording one hit. The Blue Hawks tied the game at 2-2 after Derrick Calvillo delivered a 2-run single in the second inning, scoring Mathias Dufner and Wyatt Wilharm.
 
The score would stay 2-2 until the sixth inning as both Hogan and Schorie locked in and put zeroes on the board.
 
Calvillo, Alberto Nieto and Dawson Cortese all had two hits each to lead Dickinson State's offense.
 
Grant went 2-for-4 with the home run to pace Bellevue at the plate.