Box Score MURRAY, Ky.- In a back and forth contest, the Belmont University baseball team (26-19, 13-9 OVC) reigned supreme as it picked up a 14-10 victory on the road at Murray State Friday evening at Reagan Field.
Behind homers from Brennan Washington (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Desi Ammons (Hohenwald, Tenn.), and Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) the Bruins outslugged the Racers in the opening game of the conference clash. For Washington it was his team-high 13th homerun.
Washington and Holland have now homered in back to back games.
Josh Tubbs (Camden, Tenn.) picked up the victory to improve to 3-0 on the year, going 1.2 innings allowing one run (zero earned).
Belmont trailed 4-0 after two innings, but the offense got going in the latter innings to propel the Bruins to their third-straight victory.
Starter Aaron Quillen, who went at least five innings for the 11th time in 12 starts, was tagged for six earned runs during his 5.1 frames. The Racers opened the game with a leadoff homerun and got to Quillen for four runs before the third inning, but Quillen settled things down to keep BU in the game with three-straight scoreless marks in the middle of the contest.
Belmont faced a 4-2 deficit heading into the sixth, but the Bruin bats warmed up for a four run inning to grab the lead, highlighted by the game-tying single off the bat of Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.). Murray State answered right back with a three run rally in its turn at bat in sixth to regain the advantage at 7-6.
A two-RBI double off the bat of Hadden would put Belmont ahead in the top of the seventh, 8-7 and it would not relinquish its lead from this point forward.
After a Tyler Fullerton (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) single, Washington came through in a big spot with a two-run roundtripper to provide BU with some breathing room in the seventh.
With seven innings in the books, Belmont led 11-8. Ammons and Holland homered in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively to pad the Bruin lead.
Seven of the nine Bruin starters finished with multi-hit performances as Holland and Ammons each picked up a team-high three hits. Five Bruins produced multi-RBI games as Hadden led the way three runs driven in.
Hadden and Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) both extended their 10 game hitting streaks to 11 in the come from behind win.
Connor Etheridge (Springfield, Ill.) and Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) came on in relief for the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
Belmont outhit Murray State, 17-10.
The Bruins have 63 homeruns as a team just seven off the program record of 70.
BU and Murray State resume action tomorrow as the squads meet for game two at 6 p.m. at Reagan Field.
