April 10, 2010
Box
Score
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Belmont
lost game two of a three-game non-conference series with
Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday evening, 5-8, at Gary Hogan
Field.
The Bruins took an early 2-0
lead in the first inning as junior Derek Hamblen
wasted no time in extending his hitting streak to 20 games. Hamblen
finished 1-for-5 with one run scored.
Sophomore Dylan Craig
registered four hits with one run scored. It was the fifth time
this season that Craig recorded more than three hits in a game,
improving his batting average to .397 on the season.
The Bruins' first two batters,
Craig and Hamblen, reached with singles and ended up scoring. Craig
marked his return to the leadoff spot with a single to left field.
Hamblen then used his legs to extend his hitting streak with a
chopping infield single to third base. Matt Zeblo later
followed with a RBI-single to drive in Craig and Phillip Parsley
drove in Hamblen with a sacrifice fly to center.
Freshman Chase Brookshire
made his eighth start of the season and struck out five in a
no-decision. Three of Brookshire's earned runs came on two straight
two-out homeruns in the first inning to give UALR a 3-2 lead.
Despite the early runs, Brookshire was able to keep his composure
to hold the Trojans to one run the rest of his outing.
Down 2-4 going into the sixth
inning, Belmont came back to tie the game at four behind another
pair of leadoff singles, this time from junior Tim Egerton and
sophomore Phillip Parsley.
Junior Vinny
Casha laid down the first of his two sacrifice bunts to advance
runners to second and third. The small-ball approach paid off as Mark Noth had a
ground-out RBI and Jared Breen followed
with an RBI single to tie the game at four.
Brookshire exited a tie game
after striking out two in the sixth inning for no-decision in his
eighth start of the season. Sophomore right-hander Matt Hamann (4-3)
entered in the seventh inning, giving up two doubles which enabled
UALR reclaim the lead at 5-4.
But the Bruins were able to
tie the game again in the eighth by using the same small-ball
approach while also taking advantage of timely UALR
mishaps.
Parsley led off the inning
with a single and was replaced on the bases by pinch runner Drew Turner.
Casha advanced Turner to second with his second sacrifice bunt. A
wild pitch during the next at bat put Belmont in prime scoring
position at third base. After a UALR pitching change, Turner
advanced home on a passed ball to knot the game at five.
The Trojans pulled away in the
eighth with three runs on two walks, a single and a triple, to take
an 8-5 lead. UALR closer JR Boling ensured the win by striking out
three in the ninth inning for his fifth save of the season. John
Maler just pitched 2/3 inning, but received the win.
Belmont (16-17) falls below
.500 for the first time this season. UALR (20-13), of the Sub Belt
Conference, received its 20th win of the 2010 campaign.
The non-conference series
concludes tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Gary Hogan Field.
