The Benedictine University baseball team set the single season school record for victories, staving off elimination by homering four times in the first game of the day on Saturday to down Bethel 12-4.
Bethel opened a 1-0 lead in the first inning before the bats exploded for Benedictine.
Logan Gregorio put Benedictine ahead with his first homer of the game in the top of the third, scoring
Anthony Lenza.
Kevin Bushnell followed with his 13th homer of the year, going back-to-back to make the score 3-1.
David Rubin added a two-out RBI single to cap the scoring in the inning.
Benedictine put three more on the board in the fourth to open a 7-1 advantage. Bushnell continued his torrid pace to close the year by recording an RBI double with two outs and
Brennan Fisher followed by smacking his 13th longball of the year. Bethel scored three in the bottom of the inning to draw within 7-4 but Benedictine was able to pull away late. Fisher singled home a run in the eighth and Gregorio drilled a grand slam in the ninth.
Jackson Bahn collected the win, striking out seven in five innings of work.
Dan Dombrowski worked a scoreless inning and
Austin Pizer finished out the game with three scoreless innings to earn the save.
Benedictine bashed 18 hits in the win. Gregorio drove home six runs. Bushnell finished 5-for-6 at the plate with a homer, two doubles and three runs scored. Fisher accumulated four hits. Eight of the nine in the lineup posted a hit to keep the season alive.
Benedictine (33-13) faces the loser of UW-La Crosse and Coe at 6pm in another elimination game for the right to reach the regional final.
