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Box Score 2 EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.- After falling in a highly-contested game last night, the Belmont University baseball team (18-13, 8-4) swept a double header at SIUE Saturday, April 9, as it won its first road series of the season.
Belmont and SIUE met for a double header Saturday as the game originally scheduled for Sunday was moved up with inclement weather looming in tomorrow's forecast.
The Bruins hung on for a slim 6-5 victory in the front end of the double dip, before overpowering the host Cougars, 12-0 in the series finale.
Austin Krzeminski (Roswell, Ga.) earned the victory in the first game while Tyler Vaughn (Jonesboro, Ill.) was terrific in the second game of the set, earning victory number four on the season.
Vaughn picked up the complete game shutout as he went the distance for the first time in his young career. The Illinois native, struck out eight batters and threw just 105 pitches. The sophomore righty was in control all game and limited the Cougars to just six hits over nine frames.
"I felt great out there today. I had all my pitches working early and often, and was able to get ahead in the count a lot," said Vaughn.
The Bruin hitters came out of the gates locked in game two as they put up a four run top of the first. The Bruins' first four batters reached base, including Clay Payne (Powell, Tenn.) who smacked a three-run homer giving Belmont some early breathing room.
After being held in check in innings 2-4, the Bruins exploded for a sixth run top of the fifth inning highlighted by a three-run homer from senior catcher Desi Ammons (Hohenwald, Tenn.). Belmont tallied six runs on six hits as it got into the SIUE bullpen and took control of the game during this time.
In the midst of all Belmont runs and hits, was the brilliance of Vaughn. Vaughn, who logged at least six innings pitched for the fourth-straight outing, stymied the SIUE bats.
"This place just reminds me of home. There's something comforting about being surrounded by cornfields," said Vaughn. "I'm ready to get back to Nashville and get back to work though."
The Bruins added runs in the sixth and seventh, as they continued to pad their lead.
Freshman Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) and junior Tyler Walsh (Evansville, Ind.) led the way with a team-high three hits apiece. Brennan Washington (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Alex Ward (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Payne all recorded two-hit games. Payne, who hit his sixth homerun in the victory, registered a team-high four RBIs.
Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) drove in two, while Ammons finished with three runs batted in as he hit his first long ball of the year.
"It's huge for us to be able to come back and win this series. Every conference win is crucial, we just have to keep doing what we're doing and keep getting it done out there on the field," said Vaughn.
Belmont out hit the Cougars, 16-6 in game three of the series. The Bruins stole four bases and kept the pressure on SIUE the entire game.
The Bruins improve to 8-4 in OVC action and now sit at 4-4 in road games.
Game One Recap
The Belmont University baseball team held on for a 6-5 victory in game one of Saturday's double header with the SIUE Cougars in Edwardsville, Ill.
Freshman RHP Austin Krzeminski (Roswell, Ga.) earned his third collegiate victory as he provided Belmont with five five innings pitched allowing just two earned.
Clay Payne (Powell, Tenn.), Tyler Walsh (Evansville, Ind.) and Tyler Fullerton (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) all collected two hits apiece.
The Bruins carried a 6-3 lead into the ninth, but just as yesterday's game did, things got interesting during the home team's final turn at bat. SIUE sent eight batters to the plate, scored two runs and had the tieing run at third, but the Bruins were able to escape the jam and hold for their 17th win of the year. After Josh Tubbs (Camden, Tenn.) struck out the lead off batter in the bottom of the ninth, Walsh came oh so close to recording a quick second out. Walsh, ranging into the hole, backhanded the ball rose up and fired to first base in a very Derek Jeter-esque fashion, but his strong throw was just off the mark as the SIUE batter avoided the tag at first. SIUE then singled into the left center gap and worked a walk, to load the bases with just one out. Then Tubbs and Dustin Woodock battled, but Woodcock earned the walk on a 3-2 count. After the free pass from Tubbs, Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.), who appeared in the ninth in last night's game, returned in game two of the series in yet another pressure-packed situation. Skyler Geissinger greeted Veltri with a base hit to left, driving in SIUE's fifth run. Veltri rebounded though, as he coaxed a short pop up to right to record the second out. With the tieing run just 90 feet away, Veltri reached back for something extra and struck out Alex Stewart to conclude the game.
Veltri earned his second save of the year.
The Bruins led 4-0 after the first three innings, but then saw the Cougars battle back in the mid innings to narrow the gap. Scoring in the fifth and in the sixth, SIUE trimmed Belmont's lead to 4-3 before the Bruins added two in the top of the eighth.
Belmont struck first as Fullerton connected for his second homerun of the season in the top of the first.
Payne led off the second with a double down the left field line on the first pitch he saw. Rafael Bournigal (Mulberry, Fla.) bumped Payne over to third on a sac bunt before Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) drove a single up the middle to plate Payne and the Bruins' second run.
The Bruins added two more in the third to extend their lead to 4-0. The score stood at 4-0 until the Cougars got on the board with a two run bottom of the fifth. To open the bottom of the fifth, Krzeminski was greeted with a lead off homerun. The Cougars added on one more to trim the Bruin lead to 4-2. SIUE had a runner on third and the OVC's leading hitter Keaton Wright at the plate, but Conger helped the Bruins escape the jam with an excellent play on a groundball up the middle.
SIUE carried its momentum gained in the fifth into the sixth inning as Woodcock led off with a double. Woodcock was the last batter Krzeminski would see as Kyle Klotz (Fairview, Tenn.) entered in relief. The first batter Klotz faced off against was SIUE's Geissinger who shot the ball up the middle for a base hit and an RBI. With Geissinger on first with no one out and a run already on the board for the inning, it looked like SIUE had mounted a rally. With the hit and run on, SIUE's Brock Weimer ripped a hot shot to second where Bournigal was able to tag Geissinger and throw to first to record the double play. Klotz then recorded the third out of the inning when he made a heck of play to snag a line drive ripped right back at him.
The Bruins hit .364 with runners in scoring position in the win, after struggling with runners on in the first game of the series.
After retiring the first two SIUE batters he saw in the seventh, Klotz ran into a little trouble. Klotz allowed a hit and then hit a batter to put the tieing run on second. Klotz was lifted in favor of Tubbs in what was a crucial spot in the ball game. Wright, who entered the game batting .400, stepped up to the plate with ducks on the pond. After falling behind 3-0 in the count, Tubbs battled all the way back and struck out Wright to end the Cougar threat.
Payne doubled down the left field line in the eighth, Belmont's first hit since the fourth inning. Bournigal followed Payne's lead with a knock of his own to put runners on the corners with no one out. After a Conger pop out and a Bournigal stolen base, Walsh socked a double down the left field line to plate Payne and Bournigal. Walsh's eighth double of the year helped BU pick up some insurance runs in the latter innings which proved to be crucial.
After a pair of excellent defensive plays helped Tubbs notch the first two outs of the eighth, SIUE put the next runners aboard. The tieing run was at the dish for the Cougars but Tubbs struck out Aaron Jackson to shut the door.
Fullerton and Walsh, both swinging hot bats as of late, each finished with two runs driven in apiece.
Belmont returns to action Tuesday, April 11 when it travels to Lipscomb for a non-conference tilt with the Bisons.
