The Briar Cliff baseball team fell 3-4 in a nine-inning contest against #5 Bellevue in Bellevue, Nebraska on Sunday afternoon.
 
"I'm proud of the way our guys stuck with it today", said head coach Corby McGlauflin. "We were on the verge of getting blown out, but Matt got out of some jams. Both he and Carter really threw well for us. It's good for our guys to be put into these situations against really talented teams early in the season. We're confident the timely hitting will come."
 
The Chargers now carry a 4-3 record, outscoring their opponents 63-32 on the season.
 
Series Game 3 – L, 4-3
After holding the Chargers scoreless in the first, Bellevue accelerated to a quick 2-0 lead as they tallied three hits and a sacrifice flyout.
 
The Bruins expanded their lead in the second and third innings, scoring one run apiece. Bellevue recorded seven combined hits in the first three innings, expanding their lead to 4-0 over BC.
 
Briar Cliff remained scoreless until the fourth inning where they pushed three runs across the plate. Following a Cam Reimer double and a Connor Lange single, Quentin Evers cut the deficit to 3-4 as he blasted a three-run homerun to center field, marking his second homerun of the season.
 
The final five innings remained scoreless, keeping the score 4-3 in favor of Bellevue.
 
The Briar Cliff pitching staff of Matthew Hmielewski and Austin Carter held Bellevue to only four runs and stranded nine Bruins on the bases. Coming into today, the Bruins averaged 7.5 runs per game and scored double-digit runs in two games this season. Hmielewski went 5.0 innings where he allowed nine hits and four runs while striking out three. Carter finished the final 3.0 innings allowing only one hit and tallied one strikeout.
 
Riemer led the way for the Chargers, going 3-for-4 at the plate and scoring a run. Evers tallied two hits, including a three-run homer. Lange recorded one hit and one run, while Jake Chronic and Devon Farrell added one hit apiece.

The Chargers' scheduled games against Southwest Minnesota state on Wednesday, March 1 have now been cancelled. Briar Cliff will be back in action this upcoming Friday and Saturday when they host Valley City State in a four-game home stand at Bishop Mueller Field.