The baseball and softball seasons for Bellevue College went by successfully. The baseball team finished third in the North Region, allowing the opportunity to qualify for the NWAC Baseball Championship occurring on May 23. Their tie for second place was solidified after a final four-game series against Shoreline.
Game one was a narrow 9-7 Bellevue victory off the back of a four-run fifth inning. Center fielder Ethan Smith had a memorable game, going 2-3 with a double, triple, RBI and two walks. Andrew Ellingson pitched four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three en route to his sixth save of the season.
Game two was the only loss this series. Heading into the bottom of the ninth, Shoreline held a 5-1 lead, but the Bulldogs fought back. A bases-loaded triple by second baseman Lukas Motta scored three as the game would end 5-4. Ben Anger was credited with the loss, but Jared Maxfield pitched 6.2 innings in relief, allowing one run on three hits and striking out six.
One loss was enough as the last two games were utter domination by the Bellevue squad. Game three was a 4-0 victory, with pitcher Eric Anderson highlighting the effort. He pitched the full nine innings, allowing nine hits but no runs. He walked one and struck out seven in the shutout. Third baseman Dac Archer went 2-4, with a single in the seventh scoring two of Bellevue’s four runs.
Game four was the nail in the coffin for Shoreline as Bellevue took an astounding 15-2 victory. Right fielder Dominic Marinez hit in four runs on a 2-3 night. Outfielder Riley Gill had a 3-4 game as well, scoring one run off a double in the seventh. Nate Butcher was credited with the win after allowing just two runs off three hits in six innings.
On the weekend of May 17, Bellevue will have the chance to qualify for the championship tournament. Yakima Valley and Chemeketa join them in a double-elimination bracket to see who qualifies in the end.
The softball team had a much less stressful run to the championship. They ended their season on an eight-game winning streak, mostly comprised of blowout victories. Two games against Edmonds were won by a total of 22-6, two games against Everett finished 27-10 and two games against Highline ended 13-3. The final two games to end the season against Skagit Valley were won by one game each, but still victories. The run total ended at 11-9.
Bellevue’s final record was 29-3 in conference, good for not just first in the North but first in the entire NWAC. They’ll enter the championship on May 17 as the number one seed, facing off against their division opponent in Skagit Valley once again. This bracket is also double elimination, meaning every team needs to lose twice to be eliminated outright.