Bellevue College baseball showed that youth and inexperience doesn’t matter as the Bulldogs swept a home doubleheader to kick off the 2017 season over the defending NWAC champion Yakima Valley College on Saturday February 25 at Courter Field. The Bulldogs, who featured only one returning player in the starting lineup in catcher Austin Pinorini, banged out 17 runs en-route to an 8-5 win in the opener followed by a dramatic 9-8 win in the nightcap which featured a 5-run 9th inning for the ‘dogs.
In the opener, Bellevue was in control as the offense showed consistency by putting up runs in five of the eight innings. Mason Cerrillo had three hits while Pinorini had 3 RBI’s. Freshman shortstop Grant DeLappe had a big day by getting two hits and was a part of three double-plays which squashed several Yakima Valley threats. Robbie Shineman and Josh Thompson threw 4.1 innings of shutout relief to seal the win after the ‘dogs let Yakima back in it by giving up a 4-run fifth before blanking the Yaks the rest of the way.
In the night cap, Bellevue fell behind early 7-0 as Yakima got on Bellevue starter Aki Buckson early with a series of hits and effective bunts. Buckson, the only player on Bellevue’s squad who hits and pitches, was removed as the pitcher but remained in as the designated hitter in favor of freshman right-hander Tyler Williams who threw three innings of relief. Following Williams, a trio of Bellevue pitchers gave them hope as Noah Rawls, Alex Aumick, and Kash Koltermann blanked the Yaks for five straight innings as Bellevue chipped away at the heroic comeback. Bellevue scored two in the 5th, one in the 6th, and one in the 8th before putting up 5 runs in the ninth as Buckson would redeem himself with a walkoff single to score Cerrillo for the game-winner. In the 9th inning rally, Bellevue sent ten batters to the plate, including five in a row with two outs as pinch-hitter Grant Harris, Pinorini, Cerrillo, and Buckson all came up with big hits. For the day, Cerrillo was the big stick, garnering five hits, including two doubles and a triple.
The sweep was significant in many ways as it was the season opener for the relatively young ‘dogs with 8 of 9 newcomers in the starting lineup. Bellevue also defeated the defending NWAC champions who relied on two of their veteran arms, Hunter Boyd and Parker Depascuale, who both had key roles in their title last May. Bellevue, meanwhile, pitched every pitcher in exhibition-style, giving every arm an opportunity for pre-season experience. “The defense was spectacular, our new offense can flat out hit, and we showed that we have depth on the mound by running out twelve guys in one day. All three are early signs of the recipe for success,” says Coach Mark Yoshino.
Bellevue has a four-game series with Pierce College, who finished third at the NWAC Championships last May, this weekend. The Saturday March 4 doubleheader is at Mount Tahoma HS in Tacoma and will start at 11 a.m. (early due to no lights). Sunday’s twin-bill will be a noon start at Courter Field. Check back for any schedule changes due to weather.
Last Updated February 28, 2017
