Box Score EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Bruins dropped a 4-2 decision on a soggy Saturday afternoon to the SIUE Cougars.
Junior Casey Queener (Brentwood, Tenn.) made his seventh start on the mound for the Bruins. After SIUE knocked a leadoff single and worked a walk to put runner on first and second, Queener retired a pair swinging to keep the Cougars from cashing in on an early threat.
Junior Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) recorded the first hit of the night in the top of the first with a single to center field, but he was stranded.
Queener once again found himself in a jam with a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the second. He came up big once again, ringing one up to end the inning and get out of the jam.
The Bruins put together their first threat in the third after putting the leadoff man aboard with a base hit. This time, it was freshman Jordan Henshaw (New Market, Ala.) who started things off with a base hit to center field. The next two batters were retired, but senior Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) advanced Henshaw to scoring position with a base hit of his own. With runner on first and second and two outs, sophomore Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.) smoked one to right field, but it wasn't quite enough to get out of the park and the Cougars hauled it in for the third out of the inning.
The Cougars took a turn putting their leadoff man on board with a base hit in the bottom of the third, but the Bruins retired the next three batters, including an incredible diving play at first base to rob the Cougars of a base hit, to put the inning away.
Junior Devon Gardner (Maryville, Tenn.) led off with the first extra base hit of the night for either team with a double to deep right center. He found himself just 90 feet from home plate after Henshaw flew out to center and advanced Gardner to third, but he was stranded there when the next two Belmont batters struck out.
SIUE jumped out the a two-run lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. After two quick outs, Belmont walked one and allowed a single and a double that plated two runs before forcing a fly out to center field to end the inning.
With two outs, the Bruins got the tying runs on base after Hadden worked a walk and Senior Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.) sent a single down the left field gap, but both were stranded, and Belmont continued to look to get on the board.
After giving up a base hit, sacrifice bunt, and hitting a batter, Queener was replaced by junior Kyle Klotz (Fairview, Tenn.) Klotz took over with runners on first and second with just one out, but he was able to retire the next two batters to keep the Cougars off the board in the seventh.
The Cougars added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 4-0 lead. SIUE scored on a wild pitch and after three consecutive base hits.
The Bruins tried to rally in the top of the ninth. Kocher and Reynolds both worked walk on the new Cougars pitcher to put two on with no outs forcing another SIUE pitching change. Henshaw came to the plate and rocketed a RBI double to score Kocher to finally put the Bruins on the board. Reynolds would score on a wild pitch to put the heat on the Cougars. Trailing 2-4, senior Cully Day (Mahomet, Ill.) came up to the plate with 2 outs and a runner on third, but he flied out to center field to end the game.
Queener took his third loss of the season going six and one-thirds inning, striking out three and walking four. Kyle Klotz and freshman Kyle Brennan (Franklin, Tenn.) both saw time on the mound for the Bruins.
UP NEXT
Belmont will travel to Knoxville for a midweek matchup with the University of Tennessee on April 3. First pitch is slated for 5:30 p.m.
