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Box Score 2 SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Belmont baseball team (16-17, 6-9) split a doubleheader at USC Upstate (12-22, 6-10) to win the weekend series, taking two out of three games. The Bruins lost Saturday's first game by a score of 6-5 in 10 innings before topping the Spartans 5-1 in the final tilt of the weekend.
Sophomore Josh Davis (Fayetteville, Ga.) started on the mound for the first time since Belmont's opening weekend during the series clinching victory on Saturday. The right-hander gave up only two hits and one run, while striking out four batters and walking two in eight innings pitched. Davis had only pitched 22 innings prior to today's start, but improves to 3-0 on the season after the victory.
Freshman Greg Brody (Dacula, Ga.) led the Bruins at the plate in the victory, going four for four with a solo home run. He led off the third inning with his homer to start the game's scoring, while senior Derek Hamblen (Plano, Texas) led off the fourth inning with a solo shot to give Belmont a 2-0 lead.
BU increased its lead to 4-1 in the sixth when junior Dylain Craig (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) and Hamblen recorded back to back singles. Senior Nate Woods (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) then drove both of them in with a double to left center field. Hamblen and Woods each finished with two hits in the win.
Senior Jon Ivie came in to close it out after the Bruins put up one more run in the top of the ninth. The right-hander allowed no runs as Belmont won the final game of the series 5-1. BU finished with five runs on 11 hits and two errors, while USC Upstate totaled just one run on four hits and no errors.
It took extra innings for the Spartans to top Belmont in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. The Bruins scored two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 5-5. It was again Hamblen and Woods putting things together for Belmont. The former reached base on a walk before the latter drove Hamblen in on a double down the left field line. Woods then scored when senior Matt Zeblo (Raleigh, N.C.) singled to left field.
After junior Garrett Fanchier pitched the final three innings of regulation, allowing no runs on only two hits, the Spartans finally got the best of the right-hander when Trey Richardson connected on a solo home run in the bottom of the 10th inning. It marked the second time in three games that Belmont lost on a walk off home run.
As previously stated, Fanchier was solid throughout most of his relief appearance. So was Belmont starter Matt Hamann (Northbrook, Ill.), who allowed only two earned runs in six innings during his second start of the season.
It was a trio of two-hit performances that led Belmont at the plate in game one. Woods, senior Tim Egerton (Smyrna, Tenn.), and sophomore Judah Akers (Cookeville, Tenn.) each went two for five in the defeat. Woods, Akers and Brody all tallied doubles in the contest.
BU finished with five runs on nine hits and one error in the loss, while Upstate totaled six runs on 10 hits and one error. Fanchier fell to 1-3 with the loss while the Spartans' Chris Knauff improved to 3-1 with the victory.
The Bruins took two of three from USC Upstate, improving to 6-9 in Atlantic Sun Conference play. Belmont will next stay on the road to take on non-conference opponent Austin Peay on Wednesday, April 13. The tilt is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.
