RICHMOND, Ky. – With a career day from Austin Coley (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) on the mound, Belmont Baseball (16-6, 4-1) defeated Eastern Kentucky, 1-0, in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.
Coley went seven innings and recorded ten strikeouts. He gave up six hits during his outing and did not allow a walk.
The Bruins put together a threat with back-to-back walks and a sac bunt, Drew Turner (Shelbyville, Tenn.) advanced the runners but BU was unable to score any runs in the second.
Alec Diamond (Kennesaw, Ga.) drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a single to right from Jared Breen (Marietta, Ga.). The short stop successfully stole his fourth base of the season, but Belmont stranded two.
Singles from Matt Beaty (Dresden, Tenn.) and Scott Moses (Englewood, Tenn.) put runners on the corners with one out before Moses advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) grounded out to the EKU second baseman to bring home Beaty and give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
Veltri made an exceptional defensive play in left field in the bottom of the fifth and led off the sixth inning with a single.
Veltri singled to right after Moses walked to lead off the inning. Diamond attempted a squeeze play but Moses was out at the plate. Veltri and Diamond had a double steal to put runners on second and third with two outs and Ferguson at bat.
Ferguson drew a walk to load the bases for Breen, but the EKU defense got the short stop out on the play.
The Colonels loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but the Bruins got out of the jam and took the win 1-0.
Josh Davis (Fayetteville, Ga.) came to mound in the eighth to close the game for BU. He earned his fifth save of the season and only allowed one hit and one walk.
EKU's Ben Gullo made his first start of the season on the mound and saw 6.1 innings, giving up four hits and striking out five.
