REINBECK — The BCLUW baseball team knew its window of opportunity to beat fifth-ranked Don Bosco would be brief.

Three innings, to be exact.

Don Bosco sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the third on its way to scoring seven runs in an eventual 10-0, six-inning victory, eliminating the Comets in the first round of Class 1A District 7 play on Saturday night in Reinbeck.

BCLUW (2-18) did its absolute best to limit Don Bosco (21-5) for five of its six at-bats, but at some point one of 1A’s top-scoring teams was going to break through. The Dons, averaging 11.4 runs per game, found success their second time around against BCLUW junior right-hander Walker Ashton.

Don Bosco broke loose with six hits, one walk, two Comet errors, one wild pitch and two passed balls. BCLUW’s primary bugaboos all season — errors and walks — were only a minor part of the equation, which in the end was the most relieving part for head coach Matt Zoske.

“Walker was on, he really was, we just had the one bad inning,” Zoske said. “They hit it, and that’s going to happen. I’d rather have that. We didn’t have a lot of walks, we didn’t have a lot of errors so I’ll take that.

“If we’re going to get beat, I want to get beat by a team hitting the ball, not with walks or errors.”

BCLUW’s only two errors of the game came in that frame, and the defense even saved more runs from being scored. Don Bosco leadoff batter Myles McMahon hit his second single of the inning, driving in Dawson Youngblut, but Mack Ortner was cut down trying to score on a throw home by right fielder Logan Scafferi to catcher Aiden Farnsworth.

The Dons scratched out single runs in the fourth, fifth and finally the sixth to end the game by run rule, but Zoske was more than content with the way his team fought off the mercy rule against one of 1A’s top teams.

“Of course strikes and defense were going to be the biggest thing to try to keep them from making a run on us,” Zoske said. “Walker had them off-balance all night, we were making a lot of plays and we kept them down except for the one inning.”

Ashton (2-5) allowed five earned runs on 10 hits, four walks and three hit batsmen while striking out four in the complete-game defeat. Ashton also had one of BCLUW’s two hits in the season-ending loss.

Sophomore Cael Keller hit a one-out single in the top of the first inning against Don Bosco starter Ty Purdy, but he was cut down trying to take third base on Nick Feldpausch’s grounder to shortstop.

The Comets got two on base in the second, but the clutch hit never came. Ashton singled with two outs in the fifth against reliever Ryan Naughton, but BCLUW’s offense was blanked for the sixth time this season.

“We knew their pitchers throw strikes, so go up and swing it,” Zoske said. “You get three swings, you’re going to get some strikes so put it in play, and we put it in play. We got a lot of solid contact. I was happy with the way we swung it even though we didn’t score.”

Purdy (3-1) allowed one hit, two walks and one hit batter in four innings for the win, striking out six. Naughton gave up one hit and struck out four in two innings of relief.

Landon Frost was 2-for-3 with a double and three runs scored to lead Don Bosco offensively. McMahon was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run, and Youngblut was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

It was the final game for BCLUW graduates Angus Callaway, Ray Callaway, Farnsworth and Feldpausch.

“They’re a great group,” Zoske said. “You spend time with people for five years and you miss them, it’s tough. Your connection isn’t over, but the baseball day-in and day-out, that’s always been the toughest for me.”