April 30, 2026
DICKINSON, N.D. - NAIA's No. 2 ranked and top-seed Bellevue (Neb.) opened the 2026 Frontier Conference Baseball Championship with a 20-1 seven-inning win over fifth-seed Mayville State (N.D.) Thursday at Dakota Community Bank and Trust Ballpark.
Bellevue (45-3 overall record) scored in every inning it batted, finishing with 20 runs on 22 hits and no errors, while Mayville State (23-23 overall record) managed one run on five hits and committed two errors. The Bruins ballooned their winning streak to 33 games.
The Bruins took control immediately with a five-run first inning and never let up. Nick Gravel doubled during the opening surge, Ayden Makarus drove in a run with a single, and Dylan Holmes added an RBI double as Bellevue built a 5-0 lead. The Bruins added two more runs in the second, then stretched the margin to 10-1 in the third when Carter Claerhout hit a two-run home run as part of a three-run inning.
Mayville State's lone breakthrough came in the top of the third. Robert Gurney doubled to center to bring home Marshall Judisch, cutting the deficit to 7-1 at the time. Bellevue answered quickly and kept piling on, scoring four runs in the fourth, five in the fifth and one more in the sixth.
Makarus delivered the biggest offensive performance of the day, going 5-for-5 with four runs scored, six RBIs and three home runs. Claerhout backed him with a 3-for-5 line, three runs, four RBIs and two home runs, including a two-run shot in the fifth. Mason Spellecy also fueled the attack, finishing 4-for-4 with three runs scored as Bellevue collected hits throughout the lineup.
Kenji Miller handled the rest on the mound for Bellevue. Miller threw a complete game over seven innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out five on 91 pitches. Mayville State starter Tyler Boden worked 2 2/3 innings before Bellevue's offense broke the game open further.
The Bruins move on to the winner's bracket Friday at 4 p.m. (MT), vying for a spot to Sunday's championship game against the winner of Dickinson State (N.D.)-Valley City State (N.D.) game.
Mayville State continues their action Friday morning at 10 a.m. (MT) as they take on Bismarck State (N.D.) in the loser's out game.