Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The Belmont University baseball team opened its 2016 campaign in style as it came from behind to knock off the visiting Illinois State Redbirds, 7-5, Friday evening at E.S. Rose Park.
"It's always big to come out and play well during this first game. I think it can really help to relax players and get them off to a good start." said Belmont Head Coach Dave Jarvis after the victory.
Senior starting pitcher Aaron Quillen (Kingsport, Tenn.) battled his way to the victory as he struck out nine and allowed four earned in his five innings of work. A trio of Belmont relivers, Casey Queener (Brentwood, Tenn.), Connor Etheridge (Springfield, Ill.) and Josh Tubbs (Camden, Tenn.) combined to allow just one run over the span of four innings. The senior Tubbs came on for the ninth and notched the save.
"Aaron didn't have his best stuff tonight but he certainly pitched well enough for us to win, and that's exactly what he did. He held them in check tonight and gave our guys an opportunity to come back and win. He's a tremendous leader for us and he's always willing to step up and take the ball," said Jarvis when asked about Quillen's gritty opening night performance.
Belmont was led at the plate by junior Nick Egli (Brentwood, Tenn.) who got things going early with a solo homerun in the bottom of the first. Egli finished with two hits, two runs batted in and two runs scored. Sophomore Alex Ward (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) had a pair of clutch hits as he drove in a pair of runs of his own. Brennan Washington (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Desi Ammons (Hohenwald, Tenn.) each had multi-hit games as well.
Illinois State scored two runs in the top of the first to jump ahead but the Bruins fought their way back to start 2016 in the win column. The Bruin offense was able to get to opposing pitcher Jacob Hendren, who a season ago went 10-2 with a 2.80 ERA. On this night, Belmont would score six off the lanky lefthander, as he lasted just five innings.
"Our kids did a good job of putting together good at bats against him (Hendren), and it resulted in good offense. I felt good about a lot of things we did tonight at the plate," said Jarvis."I'll be honest with you, I thought he was really really good tonight, he did everything that made him a 10-2 pitcher last year and a preseason All-American in some polls. We saw a really good arm tonight. We tip the cap to him, he's a heck of a pitcher."
BU's first hit of the game and first hit of the season came off the bat of Egli who jumped start the season with a no-doubter home run to centerfield. After working through some things in the first inning and allowing two runs, Quillen was excellent in the second inning as he struck out the side. In the bottom of the second, the lefty Ward batting against the lefty Hendren, smacked a double into the left center gap just past the outstretched hands of ISU's centerfielder, Sean Beesley. Ward's extra base hit drove in Washington and Ammons to make it 3-2 Belmont. Ward would come around to score on a Ben Kocher's (Zionsville, Ind.) sacrifice fly. After two innings it was Belmont in the lead despite the early deficit.
Both teams stayed scoreless until the fourth inning, when Ward again came through for Belmont but this time he set the table with a double to right center. After advancing on a wild pitch, Ward crossed the plate for the Bruins' fifth run as a single to the left side came off the bat of Kocher. The sophomore infielder finished with two runs batted in.
After Illinois State put its first three runners on base to open the fifth, Quillen faced his first trouble since the first inning. After a Quillen wild pitch, all three runners advanced, including Ryan Hutchinson who scored to cut the Belmont lead to 5-3. Belmont's 6'3 right hander was able to coax a groundout to the shortstop out of the next batter but Daniel Dwyer would score as a result. When it looked like the Redbirds may rally back and even up the score, Belmont's ace shut the door as he struck out two of the next three batters to preserve BU's 5-4 edge.
Neither team would budge until the sixth when Belmont added some much needed insurance in the home half of the stanza. The Bruins would chase Hendren out of the game in the sixth as Washington led off the inning with a double into left center. Jack Czeszeswki came on in relief of Hendren and the first batter he would face was Ward. Ward moved Washington over to third with a ground ball to the right side. Washington would later score on a wild pitch by Czeszewski to put BU up two at 6-4. Zach Lannan (Nashville, Tenn.) and Kocher earned back to back free passes to put runners on first and second. ISU then opted to the services of reliever Jack Landwehr who struck out Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) but was touched up by Egli who drove in BU's seventh run with a base hit to center.
Queener allowed Illinois State to score its fifth run the top of the seventh, but the 6'1 reliever battled his way out of trouble to hold the Redbirds right there. Etheridge and Tubbs threw up zeros in the eighth inning and ninth inning, respectively, to help guide the Bruins to their opening day win.
"I thought our bullpen did a really good job tonight. We really made them earn it, and when we make teams do that, we are going to be successful more often than not," remarked Jarvis.
Jarvis is now 13-6 all time in season openers at Belmont.
The Bruins and Redbirds continue their three-game set, tomorrow afternoon at Rose Park. First pitch for game two is slated for Noon central time.
"I'll be honest with you I thought he was really really good tonight, he did everything that made him a 10-2 pitcher last year and a preseason All-American in some polls. We saw a really good arm tonight. We tip the cap to him, he's a heck of a pitcher."
