Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The Belmont University baseball team (15-11, 5-3) knocked off visiting UT Martin 23-7, Saturday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park to earn its fifth series win of 2016.
With the trademark Rose Park winds gusting in full effect, runs were a plenty in game two of the conference clash between the Bruins and Skyhawks. There was no shortage of offense, as the teams combined for 30 runs and 32 hits.
After three hits in last night's contest, Tyler Walsh (Evansville, Ind.) recorded a career-high five hits in round two. Walsh finished 5-for-5 with two RBIs. Alex Ward (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) also recorded a career high of his own with four hits. Tyler Fullerton (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) drove in five runs and registered a grand slam for Belmont in the lopsided victory.
Ward scored a team-high four runs.
Connor Etheridge (Springfield, Ill.) provided some strong relief for Belmont en route to his second win of the season. Etheridge finished with 5.2 innings pitched and allowed just two earned runs. Etheridge came on in relief of Austin Krzeminski (roswell, Ga.) who made his fourth start of the season lasting 3.1 innings. Krzeminski allowed five runs but just one was earned.
Ward, Fullerton, Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Drake Byrd (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) all homered for Belmont.
Belmont scored in every at bat but one, the fourth inning, and nine different Bruins recorded hits.
Along with Walsh, Ward, and Fullerton, Conger and Zach Lannan (Nashville, Tenn.) also recorded multi-hit games.
Byrd and Lannan each drove in three appearing off the Belmont bench.
The Bruins didn't waste much time firing up the offense in game two as they recorded a five run bottom of the first. BU batted around in its first attempt at bat and the first four Bruins to bat all scored runs.
The first three innings belonged to Belmont as it led 9-1. UT Martin flexed its muscles in innings four and five, scoring a combined five runs during this span to get itself back in the ball game.
Heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Skyhawks had trimmed the Belmont lead to just 9-6 and seemed to have some momentum going their way.
This all changed when with one swing of the bat as Fullerton drove in four runs with a grandslam homerun to right field in the home half of the fifth. After just narrowly missing homeruns in his first two at bats, Fullerton got all of it on this go around. Fullerton's timely homerun made things 13-6 in favor of Belmont. Next up for BU, was the infielder Conger who also went deep for the back-to-back homerun.
Belmont scored two in the sixth, one in the seventh and six in the eighth to tally some additional insurance.
For the Bruins, its their fourth time scoring at least 20 runs.
Belmont improves to 5-3 in OVC action, and concludes its series with UT Martin tomorrow at Rose Park. First pitch for game three of the set is slated for 2 p.m. CT.
