Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont Baseball secured another conference series victory Saturday afternoon, defeating UT Martin in dramatic fashion. Senior Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.) was the hero of the game after blasting a walk-off three-run long ball to earn the 14-11 victory.
Saturday's victory improved the Bruins to 5-3 in Ohio Valley Conference play while the Skyhawks dropped to 2-6 in the conference.
Senior Connor Etheridge (Springfield, Ill.) started on the bump for the Bruins. Etheridge had yet another successful start on the hill for the Bruins. Etheridge set the tone for the game after striking out the first batter he faced and forcing a three-up, three-down inning to start things off for the Bruins. Etheridge threw six innings, striking out six and walking none. He retired the Skyhawks in order in four of the six innings he pitched.
Belmont's bats came alive early. BU's second batter, Senior Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.), recorded the first hit of the game with a single up center field. Sophomore Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.) followed that up with a hit of his own to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Kocher recorded his first of six RBI's to plate Conger which gave the Bruins an early 1-0 lead. The lead would hold to the bottom of the third.
Belmont opened things up, scoring five runs in the bottom of the third inning. Senior Cully Day (Mahomet, Ill.) extended his reached base streak to 14 games after working a four pitch walk to give Belmont an early base runner. After another walk and Cogen's second base hit, sophomore Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) drove in two more runs with a double to deep right center field. After three more Bruins knocked base hits and a sacrifice fly from senior Austin Reynolds (Smyrna, Tenn.), the Bruins took a commanding 6-0 lead.
The Skyhawks started to chip away at the lead in the top of the fifth after their first two batters laid down base hits and took advantage of a wild pitch to put themselves in scoring position. Jordan Shrode would step up to the plate with one out and hit a bomb that scored three, cutting the Belmont lead in half. BU's defense would make two quick outs to get out of the inning including a spectacular grab by Day in center field for the final out.
Etheridge made quick work of his final inning on the hill, forcing three straight groundouts in the top of the sixth.
Belmont tacked on its seventh run of the night in the bottom of the sixth. After putting himself on base with a single, Day scored his first run of the night off a Cogen single RBI.
Junior Kyle Klotz (Fairview, Tenn.) made his first appearance of the season at E.S. Rose Park, coming in to relieve Etheridge in the top of the seventh. Klotz struck out two and walked none, but UT Martin tacked on two more in the inning with back-to-back homeruns.
Junior Devon Gardner (Maryville, Tenn.) got in on the home run action in the bottom of the seventh. Gardner crushed a ball to left field for a solo home run that put the Bruins up 8-5. Freshman Jordan Henshaw (New Market, Ala.) crossed the plate with the help of a RBI single from Cully Day to extend the lead 9-5.
Freshman Logan Bowen (Bowling Green, Ky.) made his 14th appearance of the season, taking over the mound for the Bruins in the top of the eighth. Bowen gave up two singles and an error that allowed UT Martin to plate two more. With one on and no outs, freshman Kyle Brennan (Franklin, Tenn.) came to the mound and forced a fly out and struck out two to get out of the inning.
After a scoreless bottom of the eighth, Brennan headed back to the mound with a three-run lead trying to secure his second save in as many days. After two quick outs, the Bruins looked to have the game won but the Skyhawks made a four-run rally on five consecutive hits to take the lead 11-9. Sophomore Jack Rettig (Mohamet, Ill.) made his eighth relief appearance of the season, getting the Bruins out of the ninth inning with a quick strike out.
With their backs against the wall, the Bruins remained poised in the bottom of the ninth. Freshman Jackson Campbell (Russellville, Ky.) came to the plate as a pinch hitter, smashing a leadoff triple to give the Bruins early inning momentum. Day came up big once again, delivering a RBI double to put Belmont within one. After advancing to third on a fly out, Day scored the tying run taking advantage of a wild pitch. The next two batters, Cogen and Hadden, were hit by a pitch and walked to put the winning run in scoring position. Ben Kocher secured the victory when he smashed a three-run bomb over the left field fence for the walk-off win.
Rettig earned his second win of the season.
Belmont will go for their second series sweep of the season Sunday afternoon in the series finale with UT Martin. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. CT.
