May 3, 2026

DICKINSON, N.D. - No. 2 ranked Bellevue (Neb.) needed two wins Sunday afternoon to claim the 2026 Frontier Conference Baseball Postseason Tournament Championship at Dakota Community Bank & Trust Ballpark. With the Vikings defeating the Bruins earlier in the tournament on Friday, BU earned 10-7 game 1 victory to force the winner-takes-all game where they ended up with a 16-5 win.

The two-game set turned on timely extra-base hits in the opener and a 20-hit offensive surge in the second game as Bellevue advanced with back-to-back wins.

Game 1 was the tighter of the two. Top-seed Bellevue struck first with four runs in the second inning, a burst highlighted by Mason Spellecy’s three-run homer that helped account for four RBIs in the inning and gave Bellevue a 4-0 lead.

Second-seed VCSU answered immediately and then some in the third, scoring five times to move in front 6-5. Alexis Velasco fueled that rally with extra-base damage, finishing with two doubles and four RBIs for the Vikings, who collected 11 hits in the opener.

Bellevue regained control late. After both lineups cooled through the middle innings, the Bruins scored three runs in the seventh to pull back ahead, 8-6. Carter Claerhout delivered a run-scoring single during that rally, then added the decisive swing in the ninth with a two-run homer that stretched the margin to 10-7.

Spellecy finished 2 for 2 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs, while Claerhout went 2 for 2 with a homer and three RBIs. Bellevue made the comeback stand behind Reid Madariaga, who worked eight innings in relief, allowed eight hits and six earned runs, and struck out seven.

The nightcap turned quickly into a Bellevue rout. The Bruins scored once in the second, added another run in the fourth and then opened separation with a four-run fifth inning.

Valley City State got on the board in the fifth and added two runs in the sixth, but Bellevue’s offense kept building. Claerhout keyed the fifth-inning push with a multi-run double, and Bellevue carried a 6-1 lead before the Vikings briefly trimmed into the margin.

Any chance of a late Vikings push disappeared in the seventh, when BU sent across seven runs to break the game open. Ayden Makarus homered to left during the outburst, and the Bruins were not finished, tacking on three more runs in the eighth to close out the 16-5 win.

Bellevue finished with 16 runs on 20 hits, compared with nine hits for Valley City State. Anthony Lind led the Game 2 attack by going 4 for 4 with three RBIs, two runs and a double. Makarus added three hits, a home run, two RBIs and three runs, and Claerhout drove in four runs.

Bellevue also got a steady start from Cannon Close in the second game. He worked six innings, allowed six hits and one earned run, and struck out four as Bellevue’s pitching staff limited Valley City State to five runs.

The Bruins take their 48-4 overall record and will represent the Frontier Conference in the NAIA Baseball National Tournament Opening Round on May 11-14. Bellevue will find out who they will host during NAIA Baseball Selection Show on Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. (Central Time)/3 p.m. (Mountain Time) via on NAIA's YouTube.

Valley City State ended their season with an overall record of 26-24-1.