Box Score AUBURN, Ala. – The Belmont baseball team (8-7) dropped game two of the weekend series to Auburn (10-6) by a score of 3-2 on Saturday. The Bruins fell by one run for the second straight contest, and will attempt to take one from the Tigers in the final tilt of the series on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
After allowing the Tigers to pick up three runs over the course of the first four innings, Belmont cut the Auburn lead to one, at 3-2, in the top of the fifth.
Freshman Jamie Ritchie (Buford, Ga.) reached on an error to lead off the frame, and then advanced to second on a walk by freshman Scott Moses (Englewood, Tenn.). Both runners moved up a base on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by senior captain Zac Mitchell (Cordova, Tenn.).
With both base runners now in scoring position, senior Dylan Craig (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) came to the plate. The Belmont center fielder connected on a deep double to right center field, driving in both Ritchie and Moses to make it 3-2.
The Bruins' starting pitcher, senior captain Matt Hamann (Northbrook, Ill.), really got into a groove after scattering Auburn's three runs across the first four innings. He pitched four innings of shutout baseball to finish out the game, and gave the Belmont offense plenty of time to tie the game or take the lead.
BU couldn't take advantage, though, stranding 10 base runners throughout the game. The Bruins had two men on in the sixth and the ninth, but were unable to tie the game at any point in the contest. Belmont also had an opportunity to extend the game when junior captain Drew Turner (Shelbyville, Tenn.) recorded his first career triple. A strikeout by Ritchie ended the inning and kept the Tigers on top.
Belmont finished with just two runs on seven hits and one error. Hamann fell to 0-2 on the season, while allowing three runs – only two of which were earned – on eight hits. The right-hander struck out one Tiger batter and walked two.
Craig led the Bruin offense with two hits, including the two-run double in the fifth. Turner tripled in the eighth, and junior Judah Akers (Cookeville, Tenn.) doubled in the fourth to add to Belmont attack. Mitchell extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the third.
Auburn totaled three runs on eight hits and three errors. Will Kendall improved to 2-0 on the season after allowing two runs on five hits in 5.2 innings pitched. Slade Smith pitched the final 3.1 innings, allowing no runs on two hits to record his second save of the season.
The two teams will finish out the three-game weekend series on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Live stats and live audio will be available for the game.
