Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont baseball team (29-23, 15-12) defeated Florida Gulf Coast (24-28, 13-14) in what can only be described as a very intriguing game at Rose Park on Sunday afternoon. With an array of plays not yet seen during the 2011 season, the Bruins held off the Eagles late by a score of 4-3, giving BU a two game lead on FGCU for the final spot in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
#15 Stetson and Jacksonville have already secured berths in the league playoffs, while ETSU and Kennesaw State remain in third and fourth place, respectively, with identical 15-10 conference marks after the Owls game one win over North Florida this afternoon. KSU and Mercer both played doubleheaders on Sunday, as the Bears' game one win over USC Upstate kept them percentage points ahead of the Bruins with a record of 14-11.
Junior Matt Hamann (Northbrook, Ill.) battled through six innings to earn his team-leading seventh win of the season, after walking six batters and enduring some sort of hand injury that was looked at by the team's athletic trainer on a pair of occasions. Hamann worked himself into a couple of jams, throwing 100 pitches on only 52 strikes, but came through with clutch outs when they were needed.
After loading the bases to start the second, allowing a pair of singles and a walk, Head Coach Dave Jarvis made a trip to the mound to talk with Hamann. Two pitches later the Bruins were out of the inning. The first pitch after the visit led to the first of three unconventional double plays on the day. Jake Foley grounded out to senior Nate Woods (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) at first base, who instinctively touched first base and threw home and senior Matt Zeblo (Raleigh, N.C.) tagged out the Eagle attempting to score from third. On the next pitch, Hamann was able to tag Mikel Alvarez out on his way to first after forcing the grounder to the pitcher.
In the fifth inning, as Belmont held a slight 1-0 advantage, the Bruins ended the frame on another double play. This time it was junior Dylan Craig (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) catching a routine fly out to center field, and then throwing out Tim Roberson at first base, who thought that Craig's catch was the third out. And finally, after walking the first two batters of the sixth, Hamann got Sean Dwyer to foul out to Zeblo on a bunt attempt to record the first out of the inning. The following batter, Stephen Wickens, lined out to sophomore Jared Breen (Marietta, Ga.), who then connected on the third Bruin double play with a quick throw to second base.
Hamann left the game after six innings, improving to 7-1 on the season after allowing no runs on only four hits. The Bruin offense then gave the starting pitcher some insurance on that win. Craig led off the bottom of the sixth with a triple to right center field, and then scored when Woods singled through the infield two batters later. After Woods was caught stealing, Zeblo walked and Florida Gulf Coast replaced starting pitcher Jack Wagoner with Harrison Cooney. With his first pitch of the game, the right-hander was taken yard by senior Tim Egerton (Smyrna, Tenn.). The Belmont right fielder recorded his team-leading 12th homer of the season to give BU a 4-0 lead.
The Eagles picked up two runs in the seventh off of Belmont reliever junior Garrett Fanchier (Lebanon, Tenn.), and then cut the lead to one run, at 4-3, in the eighth inning. FGCU scored the run in the eighth on an RBI double by Wickens. The long shot was almost taken away from Wickens, as Craig made a long sprint to right center field and jumped into the fence, just missing the catch. That was the type of effort that was on display in Nashville on Sunday afternoon.
Foley, the Florida Gulf Coast center fielder, gave up his body in a similar fashion to start off the next half inning. The freshman hurled himself into the wall in attempting to rob Bruin senior Derek Hamblen (Plano, Texas) from what ended up being a triple to left center field. Hamblen's lead off triple ended up having no effect on the game, as BU was unable to score in the eighth. Woods popped up to short center field, and then Hamblen was caught in a pickle after a bizarre attempt to steal home with Zeblo at the plate and one out. Zeblo then lined out to short stop to end the inning.
It was then up to Belmont closer senior Jon Ivie (Summertown, Tenn.) to come and seal the deal on this one. With the crowd more into the game than at any point in the series, Ivie struck out Brandon Bednar for the first out of the inning. Facing the tough middle of the Eagle order, Ivie then allowed a double and a single to put runners on first and third. FGCU catcher then bunted down the right field line in attempt to score the tying run, but Ivie sprinted towards the ball, turned, and threw out Roberson at the plate. Roberson, with decent speed and a good job from third, was called out after Zeblo did a terrific job blocking home plate. Ivie then went back to the mound, and got designated hitter Javi Sujo to end the game with a ground out to second base for his ninth save of the season.
It was intriguing, it was exciting, and it was unconventional, but the Bruins came away with the 4-3 win to avoid the sweep against FGCU on Sunday. Belmont totaled four runs on nine hits and one error in the victory. Woods went three-for-four with a double and two RBI to lead BU at the plate, improving his season average to .358.
FGCU totaled three runs on 11 hits and one error. Wagoner was credited with the loss, falling to 4-3 on the season, after allowing three runs on seven hits in five and two thirds innings pitched. Roberson and Wickens each recorded three hits in the defeat to lead the Eagles at the plate.
Belmont will next travel to Tennessee on Tuesday for the final non-conference game of the regular season, before finishing the conference slate with a three game series at Stetson beginning on Thursday, May 19. FGCU will return home to host Lipscomb in a three game series this weekend.
