Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Despite a complete game from senior ace Aaron Quillen (Kingsport, Tenn.), the Belmont University baseball team saw its three-game winning streak snapped as it fell 2-1, Friday evening to the visiting Eastern Kentucky Colonels at E.S. Rose Park.
The Bruins fall to 9-8, and are now 0-1 in OVC play.
"To be honest with you I thought we had a pretty good day at the plate. I know we only had seven hits to show for it, but we had a lot of guys putting together quality at bats. Sometimes that's just the way the game goes, we didn't have a whole to show for some of those," added Head Coach Dave Jarvis after the hardfought loss.
Both teams enjoyed exceptional starting pitching performances from their respective hurlers as Quillen finished with nine innings pitched, six strike outs and one earned run while EKU's Eric Nerl went eight innings allowing just one earned run of his own.
Quillen and Nerl did what Friday starters are supposed to do as they set the tone for the remainder of the series with very solid outings.
"Hats off to their guy (Eric Nerl), I thought he did a great job out there. He was able to manage the game in a productive way. But you can't overlook Aaron Quillen and the job he did for us. I was really impressed with the way he battled for us," added Jarvis.
After Clay Payne (Powell, Tenn.) singled up the middle, the Bruins had the tying run on first with Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.) at bat with a chance to tie it or end in the bottom of the ninth. Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.), who entered the game as a pinch runner for Payne, was picked off at first to end things abruptly Friday night.
Before Payne's single up the middle, Alex Ward (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) nearly set the table himself but was robbed by EKU shortstop Doug Teegarden who made a nifty play to ranging to his left to rob Ward of what would have been a critical hit.
EKU tallied both of its scores in the top of the third inning, an inning that saw a double steal which resulted in an EKU player stealing home. Only one of the Colonels' two runs was earned as the other score came around on a throwing error by Quillen after he nearly made a nice play on a bunt down the third base line.
Belmont pushed across its lone run of the game in the bottom of the fourth when Ward singled up the middle to drive in Tyler Fullerton (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) who reached on a double.
After the Colonels got to Quillen for two in the third, the senior righty beared down and ended the game with six-straight scoreless innings.
The Bruins out hit EKU 7-6.
As most pitcher's duel tend to be, Friday's game featured a fast pace and lasted just over two hours and fifteen minutes.
The Bruins threatened in the bottom of the eighth with the tying run on second base, but ran into some tough luck as Brennan Washington (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), the team's leading hitter, grounded out to shortstop despite squaring up a 2-0 fastball from the EKU pitcher.
"Bottom line is, we played a good ball game, and so did they. They came out on top tonight, but there's two more games to be played and we're ready to compete," added Jarvis.
The Bruins host EKU in game two of the series tomorrow afternoon, as the first pitch is slated for 1 p.m. at Rose Park.
