May 11, 2026 | Bellevue, Neb. — Nelson University Baseball opened its historic NAIA Opening Round appearance in dominant fashion Monday afternoon, defeating Saint Ambrose 8-1 at Renner Dennis Field to advance in the Bellevue Bracket. 

The Lions (36-18) delivered timely hitting, strong pitching, and a late offensive surge to secure the program's first national tournament win. 

Nelson struck first in the bottom of the third inning when Ethan Starks ripped a two-run double to left center, scoring Odnal Rivera and Addison Patton for an early 2-0 advantage. 

Saint Ambrose answered with a run in the sixth, but Reagan Smith remained composed on the mound. The right-hander tossed 7.1 innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out eight to earn the victory. Hamilton Moye closed the door out of the bullpen with 1.2 scoreless innings. 

The Lions broke the game open late.

In the seventh inning, Mitchell Baker drew an RBI walk before TJ Sweat came home on a balk to extend the lead to 4-1. One inning later, Addison Patton launched a two-run homer to left field, igniting the Nelson dugout and pushing the advantage to five. 

Nelson wasn't done yet.

Joshua Pinter added an RBI double before Zeke Velazquez capped the scoring with an RBI single in the eighth inning. 

The Lions finished with nine hits on the afternoon. Rivera scored three runs while Patton, Velazquez, and Starks each collected two hits. Patton drove in two runs, and Starks added two RBIs of his own. 

Next Up
Nelson returns to action today at 6 PM in Bellevue Bracket play as the Lions continue their run in the NAIA Opening Round.

Nelson University (formerly SAGU) is a private Christian university, established in 1927 by P.C. Nelson. The University is located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas, and offers more than 70 associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees on campus or online. For more information, visit www.nelson.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-NELSON.