Box Score EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Belmont Baseball had a decisive 15-1 win over the Cougars behind an incredible performance on the mound by senior Tyler Vaughn (Jonesboro, Ill.) Vaughn recorded his third career complete game on Thursday night.
The Bruins improved to 7-3 in Ohio Valley Conference Play and 12-13 overall.
Leadoff man Cully Day (Mahomet, Ill.) set the tone for the evening with a leadoff base hit to center field. Day would increase his hitting streak to eight games and his reached base streak to 17 games. Even with a leadoff hit, Belmont couldn't get anything else going offensively and was kept scoreless.
The Cougar's first batter rocketed a leadoff double after 11 pitches to put SIUE in scoring position early. Vaughn retired the next three batters in order, including a strikeout to end the inning, to keep things scoreless
Vaughn continued an impressive outing, retiring the Cougars in order in the bottom of the second and striking out back-to-back batters to end the third inning.
Belmont continued to record hits but struggled to get on the board through the first six innings.
Belmont finally got on the board in the top of the sixth. Senior Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) reached on an error to give Belmont a base runner with no outs. Sophomore Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.) then reached on a fielder's choice. After three consecutive hits by sophomore Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) and seniors Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.) and Austin Reynolds (Smyrna, Tenn.) and another error by the Cougars, the Bruins took a 3-0 lead. Freshman Jordan Henshaw (New Market, Ala.) delivered a RBI single that plated Reynolds giving the Bruins a 4-0 lead after six.
Belmont's bats caught first in the top of the seventh. The Bruins laid down seven-consecutive base hits, including a triple by Hadden to start the inning. After Henshaw was hit by a pitch and two walks, Belmont took a 11-0 lead and batted around with no outs. Conger and Cogen plated to more (13-0) with back-to-back sacrifice flies before Hadden went down swinging to end the big inning. Belmont scored nine runs on seven hits in the inning.
SIUE got back a run in the bottom of the seventh after a throwing error cutting the lead 13-1.
Belmont scored one more in the top of the eighth. Kocher led off with a base hit and advanced to second after Reynolds was hit by a pitch. Henshaw picked up his second RBI of the night with a sacrifice fly to score Kocher and give the Bruins a 14-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth.
Ben Kocher rounded out Belmont's scoring, recording his fifth hit and third RBI of the night to score Conger, increasing the Belmont lead 15-1 in the top of the ninth.
Vaughn remained on the mound for the ninth inning, striking out two to end the game.
The Bruins outhit the Cougars 20-8 and committed one error. Vaughn finished the game with a season-high nine strikeouts allowing eight hits and no earned runs and one walk.
Belmont is slated to play game two of the series tomorrow at 6:00 p.m.
