Box Score MEMPHIS, Tenn.- The Belmont University baseball team (24-17, 11-7), facing a three-run deficit in the eighth inning, rallied back for a four-run top of the eighth and an 8-7 victory Tuesday afternoon at Memphis.
Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.), Brennan Washington (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) Tyler Walsh (Evansville, Ind.), and Desi Ammons (Hohenwald, Tenn.) all recorded multi-hit games in the victory. Walsh tied the game with a two-run homer in the sixth. Clay Payne (Powell, Tenn.) came through with a game-tying hit of his own in the eighth when he erased a three-run deficit with a bases loaded double down the left field line. After Payne's double, the senior catcher Ammons stroked a single to left to plate Payne and give the Bruins an 8-7 advantage. Payne's run in the eighth would prove to be the game winner.
Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) earned his first victory of the season as he logged 2.2 innings and provided some much needed stability in the latter innings for BU.
The Bruins were errorless until the ninth, but two miscues in the inning made things interesting. After Walsh began the bottom of the ninth with an error, the Bruins rolled up a crucial double play as Conger tagged the runner and tossed it over to first base for the timely twin killing. Naturally, the next hit ball found Walsh again and this time a low throw from the junior resulted in his second error of the inning. Veltri took matters into his own hands and picked up a strikeout to preserve the victory and notch Belmont's 27th out.
Both teams played their fifth game in five days as today's game was rescheduled from earlier in the season.
The Bruins outhit the Tigers 10-6 and posted a 4-1 record during their season-high five consecutive games.
Belmont struck first when Alex Ward (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) picked up an RBI single in the top of the first before Memphis evened the score with a tally in the bottom of the second. The Tigers took the lead in the fourth when they got to Belmont starter Casey Queener (Brentwood, Tenn.) for a score. Kyle Klotz (Fairview, Tenn.) came on in relief in the fourth and helped settle things down when it looked UM may score some additional runs.
The Bruins knotted the score at 2-2 when Conger continued his hot hitting with an RBI single in the fifth. Memphis answered right back with a two run inning during its turn at bat in the fifth to jump ahead 4-2.
Belmont came right back with a two run sixth to again equalize with Memphis as Walsh swatted his seventh homer of the year with a runner aboard. After scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth, Memphis struck twice in the seventh to grow its lead to 7-4. Three Bruin pitchers saw action in the seventh, as Veltri came in to record the final two outs of the stanza.
Facing a 7-4 deficit, the Bruins stormed back for a four run top of the eighth highlighted by Payne's double and Ammons' go-ahead single.
With his walk in the 3rd, Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) picked up his 47th walk of the season which broke the Belmont single season record for base on balls.
Queener made his sixth start of the season and provided 3.1 innings of work.
Belmont returns to action this weekend when it welcomes Jacksonville State for an OVC showdown at E.S. Rose Park.
