Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont baseball team (28-22, 14-11) fell to Florida Gulf Coast (23-27, 12-13) by a score of 5-4 in the first contest of this weekend's three game series in Nashville. The Eagles scored three runs in the seventh inning, which was enough to top the Bruins on Friday night.
Belmont opened the game with three runs in the first inning, as junior Dylan Craig (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) led off the bottom of the first with a triple to left center field. Senior Derek Hamblen (Plano, Texas) then drove in Craig on a ground out to short stop. Senior Nate Woods (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) was hit by a pitch before senior Tim Egerton hit a two run homer over the left field fence two batters later to make it 3-0 after one.
FGCU got one back in the third with a pair of singles, a sacrifice bunt, and finally a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. The Eagles scored one more in the top of the fifth. This time it was just two singles and a sacrifice bunt that brought Gulf Coast within one run at 3-2.
The Bruins answered in the bottom of the fifth with one run to increase lead back to two, at 4-2. Woods connected on a solo home run to left center field with two outs in the inning. It marked the senior's ninth homer of the season, putting him second on the team to Egerton, who hit his 11th earlier in the game.
Belmont starter, sophomore Chase Brookshire (Chattanooga, Tenn.), had many handling the Eagles with ease through the first six innings. The left-hander allowed only two runs on five hits, before giving up the three runs in the seventh. A double to lead off the inning, which was followed by a number of singles, led to the three run inning that gave FGCU the 5-4 lead they need to hold off the Bruins.
Florida Gulf Coast finished with five runs on 10 hits and no errors. R.J. Brown improved to 3-0 on the mound after allowing one run on two hits and striking out two batters in two and one third innings of relief. The Eagles only had one extra base hit, which came in the form of a double by Javi Sujo.
Belmont totaled four runs on seven hits and one error. Brookshire falls to 4-3 on the season after allowing four earned runs on nine hits. The sophomore struck out eight Eagle batters while walking none in 7.0 innings of action.
The homers by Egerton and Woods helped lead Belmont at the plate, while junior Zac Mitchell (Cordova, Tenn.) was the only Bruin with multiple hits on the day, recording a single and a double in the defeat.
The two teams will play in the second game of the series on Saturday. The contest is scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. at Rose Park in Nashville.
