RICHMOND, Ky. – Behind a 10-run fourth inning, Belmont Baseball (17-6, 5-1) completed the sweep of Eastern Kentucky, 13-6, Saturday afternoon.
A pair of singles from Matt Beaty (Dresden, Tenn.) and Drew Turner (Shelbyville, Tenn.) started things for the Bruins in the second. Scott Moses (Englewood, Tenn.) laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Beaty and put the Bruins on the board first. Turner crossed the plate on an EKU throwing error to score the second run of the inning.
Judah Akers (Cookeville, Tenn.) hit a two out double down the left field line in the third inning. Akers leads the Bruins with five doubles on the season.
A leadoff double from Turner started the 10-run fourth inning for the Bruins. Moses laid down his second sacrifice bunt, but he was able to reach base on a throwing error by EKU starter Shane Grimm. The second baseman proceeded to steal second before an RBI single scored Turner.
The Bruins loaded the bases with no outs after Jamie Ritchie (Buford, Ga.) drew a walk. An RBI single from Drew Ferguson (Knoxville, Tenn.) put BU up 4-0, keeping the bases loaded and forcing the Colonels to go to the bullpen.
Jared Breen (Marietta, Ga.) drew a bases loaded walk to make it 5-0 Belmont, before a two-run single from
Josh Davis (Fayetteville, Ga.) extended the Bruins' lead to 7-0. Another bases loaded walk allowed the sixth run of the inning to cross the plate.
Turner cleared the bases with a three-run double to right field to give Belmont an 11-0 lead. Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) grounded out to the EKU third baseman to score Turner and extend Belmont's lead to 12-0 over the Colonels.
Belmont sent 13 to the plate in the fourth and the first 10 scored.
The Colonels responded in the bottom half with a two-run single from Matt Phipps, who capped a five-run inning for EKU to make it a 12-5 ball game.
Dan Ludwig (Naperville, Ill.) made his tenth appearance of the season, relieving starter James Buckelew (Lawrenceville, Ga.). Buckelew, who returned to the mound after the 10-run inning, finished his day allowing eight hits and five runs.
An RBI double from Luke Wurzelbacher cut Belmont's lead to 12-6 in the fifth.
An infield hit from Veltri scored Turner to give Belmont a 13-6 lead in the sixth. That was Veltri's third RBI of the game.
Moses singled to center followed by a four-pitch walk to Veltri after the innings started with a pair of ground outs. A double steal advanced the runners and Ritchie drew a walk to load the bases, but Ferguson grounded out to the end the inning.
Jessie Snodgrass (Lebanon, Tenn.) took the mound in the bottom of the ninth. Ludwig finished the day gave up only one hit and one run in 4.1 innings of relief. Snodgrass stuck out two of the three batters he faced in the inning.
The Bruins will continue their road swing with a midweek game at SIU-Carbondale on Tuesday at 3:00pm. Belmont will return home to Rose Park on Thursday for a three-game conference series with Morehead State.
