Box Score KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont baseball team (30-23, 15-12) defeated Tennessee (23-28, 5-22) by a score of 6-3 on Tuesday evening in Knoxville. The Bruin pitching staff combined for 14 strikeouts and eight scoreless innings to top the Vols in the midweek contest.
Senior Nate Woods (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) drove in three out of the Bruins' first four runs of the game. In the first inning he singled to right field to score senior Derek Hamblen (Plano, Texas), who reached on an error to start the game. Hamblen scored from second after junior Dylan Craig (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) sacrificed him to second.
After sophomore Judah Akers (Cookeville, Tenn.) tallied his seventh home run of the season on a solo shot to left field in the second inning, neither team scored for the next two frames. Then in the fifth it was Woods again, this time singling through the infield to drive in sophomore Jared Breen (Marietta, Ga.) and junior Zac Mitchell (Cordova, Tenn.), who both singled earlier in the inning.
Both Woods and freshman James Buckelew (Suwanee, Ga.) allowed Belmont to get out to the early lead, as each of them recorded two scoreless innings on the mound. Woods started the 41st game of his career, the third most in BU history, and allowed just one hit while striking out four Volunteer batters. Buckelew put forth similar numbers, as he allowed a single hit and struck out three in his two innings of work.
The Volunteers then took their turn on the offensive, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Ethan Bennett and Davis Morgan both recorded RBI doubles to drive in the first two runs, before Andrew Toles singled, knocking in Morgan to make it 4-3 in favor of the Bruins.
Junior Brandon Frensley (Hendersonville, Tenn.) came in to pitch a pair of perfect innings in the sixth and seventh. The left-hander struck out three of the six batters he faced, allowing no hits and no walks. Junior Garrett Fanchier (Lebanon, Tenn.) then pitched a perfect eighth, striking out the final two batters of the inning.
With a slight 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, three out of the first four Bruin batters walked to load the bases. After Craig lined out to left field, Woods got the job done once again for Belmont. Once he battled to a full count, and fouled off four straight offerings, the captain singled to center field driving in his fourth and fifth RBI of the game to give BU a 6-3 lead.
Senior Jon Ivie (Summertown, Tenn.), who has appeared in more games on the mound than any other Bruin, came in to close out the game for Belmont. He struck out one batter in a perfect inning of his own to record his 10th save of the season. It also marked the right-hander's 21st career save, leaving him only four from the all-time BU record of 25.
The Bruins finished with six runs on eight hits and no errors. Three hits by Woods and the homer by Akers led Belmont at the plate, while Woods also picked up the win on the mound, improving to 5-5 on the season. Freshman Greg Brody (Dacula, Ga.) and Craig added a double and triple, respectively.
The Vols totaled three runs on five hits and one error. Morgan led Tennessee at the plate with a single and a double. Starting pitcher T.J. Thornton picked up the loss after allowing two runs on two hits in three innings of action.
Belmont will next finish out the regular season with a three game series at #21 Stetson this weekend. The first game of the series is set for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 19. With two wins over the Hatters, the Bruins can clinch a berth into the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
