Box Score Nashville, Tenn. – Belmont University baseball (24-18, 11-8 OVC) falls to Jacksonville State (27-14, 15-4 OVC) 4-2 in the first of the three games in the OVC weekend series.
Senior Aaron Quillen (Kingsport, Tenn.) would suffer his third loss of the season despite striking out 11 batters in seven innings. Graham Officer recorded his eighth win of the season for Jacksonville State while Garrett Farmer posted his first save.
Junior Tyler Walsh (Evansville, Ind.) was the only Bruins to record more then one hit in the contest going 2-for-4. Six Bruins recorded one hit in the game including a solo homerun from junior Brennan Washington (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) that put BU up 1-0 in the second.
Quillen opened up play striking out three batters in the first two innings.
Washington sparked the offense in the bottom of the second inning as he blasted a homerun over the right field wall, which put the Bruins up 1-0. Three more Bruins recorded hits in the inning. Walsh doubled and stole third ultimately scoring off of a sacrifice from junior Clay Payne (Powell, Tenn.). Sophomore Rafael Bournigal (Mulberry, Fla.) also doubled in the inning while sophomore Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.) recorded the Bruins third hit when he singled to second base.
A walk issued to Jacksonville State in the top of third crossed home off of a double to bring the Gamecocks within one 2-1.
The Bruins bats slowed down as BU went three straight innings without recording a hit. JSU took the lead, 3-2, in the top of the fourth when they hit back-to-back home runs.
Bruins put the tying run on in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings but are unable to bring them across home.
Freshman Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) singled in the sixth and but was thrown out as part of a double play. Shortly after, Washington was hit by a pitch and stole second but was left there.
Payne doubled in the seventh but would be stranded at second.
Sophomore Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) singled to lead off the eighth, but after advancing to second off of a sacrifice bunt by Hadden he would be thrown out stealing third.
JSU lead of the ninth with a single from Reynolds, he then advanced to second off of a sacrifice bunt. Reynolds advanced to third on a wild pitch and ultimately crossed home on a single from the Gamecocks.
With the Bruins down 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth and two outs on the board, Payne dropped a beautiful bunt down the third base line to put a runner on for the Bruins. BU would ultimately strand Payne at first as the game came to a close.
The Bruins and Gamecocks will faceoff in game two of the series tomorrow with a 2:30 p.m. CT first pitch at E.S. Rose Park.
