April 23, 2010
Box
Score
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Belmont
baseball lost to Florida Gulf Coast 1-0 on Friday night in a brisk
matchup between 6-foot-6 starting pitchers Nate Woods and Chris
Sale.
Woods (3-5) pitched a
seven-inning game, allowing one run with five strikeouts. Sale
(6-0) - a unanimous preseason All-American - pitched his first
complete game of the season after allowing no runs on one hit and
setting a school record of 15 strikeouts.
Both pitchers worked quickly
in Belmont's shortest game of the season -- two hours and 20
minutes. The first six innings were scoreless as Sale kept a
perfect game alive for 4 2/3 innings.
Senior Packy Elkins broke
up a Sale's perfect game in the fifth inning with an infield base
hit down the right side - Belmont's only hit of the
game.
Four FGCU leadoff batters
reached base but Woods was able to strand a total of seven runners
while allowing just one run. A two-out single in the seventh broke
up the scoreless game and proved to be the game-winning
hit.
In the seventh, FGCU
designated hitter Josh Chester led off the seventh with a single
and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Chester was replaced
at second by pinch runner Pete Woodworth and later was driven home
on a RBI-single from Stephen Wickens with two out and two runners
on base.
Sophomore Matt Hamann pitched
the eighth inning for the Bruins with two strikeouts.
Mikel Alvarez had FGCU's first
hit of the day with a bunted single in the fourth inning, finishing
2-for-4.
Sale finished his complete
game strong as seven of his 15 strikeouts came in the last three
innings.
The series continues on
Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Coverage can be heard on the Bruin Sports
Network with Rich Tiner at play-by-play.
