Box Score CAPE GIRARDEU, Mo. – Belmont dropped a heartbreaker in 10 innings to SEMO on Friday night.
The Bruins came out of the gate and immediately gave the SEMO pitcher problems, taking right hander Carlos Vega to full counts in the first three at-bats. Senior Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) and junior Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) worked consecutive walks in the first two at-bats of the night. Sophomore Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.) gave the Bruins an early 3-0 lead when he took a payoff pitch and sent it over the right center field fence for his seventh home run of the season.
Senior Tyler Vaughn (Jonesboro, Ill.) got the start on the bump, just thirty minutes from his hometown. He came out and made a statement early, retiring the Redhawks in order with a couple pop ups and a ground out.
The Redhawks earned a couple runs back in the bottom of the second to put some pressure on the Bruins after a solo home run and a couple hits making the score 3-2.
Belmont pitcher Tyler Vaughn left the game in the second inning with an injury and called on freshman Chandler Schultz (Nashville, Tenn.). After getting out of the second inning, Schultz had an impressive outing.
After Schultz kept the Redhawks scoreless in the third, the Bruins put up a big inning to stretch things out. Senior Cully Day (Mahomet, Ill.) got things going with a one-out solo shot over the fence to give the Bruins a 4-2 lead and senior Austin Reynolds (Smyrna, Tenn.) followed that with a double to put another in scoring position. With two outs, freshman Jordan Henshaw (New Market, Ala.) rocketed his third home run of the season scoring two more runs. Belmont loaded the bases once again with a couple walks and a hit, and junior Devon Gardner (Maryville, Tenn.) worked a bases loaded walk that rounded out the scoring for the inning giving the Bruins a 7-2 lead.
Schultz was able to keep SEMO off the board in the fourth and fifth innings, preserving the five-run lead.
The Redhawks got back on the board in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two runs with the help of a leadoff walk and two base hits tightening things up 7-4.
The Bruins earned back a run in the top of the seventh after Cogen leadoff with a single up the middle. Gardner put another run on the board with a RBI double to score Cogen to take a 8-4 lead.
SEMO answered in a big way in the bottom of the seventh as they put together a two-out rally. A walk, three base hits and a ground rule double scored four runs and knotted things up 8-8.
The Bruins were held to just one base runner in the eighth and ninth and freshman Kyle Brennan (Franklin, Tenn.) would try to keep the Bruins' alive from the bump in the bottom of the ninth.
The Bruins put the go-ahead run on board in the top of the ninth as Reynolds send a single through the right side. Junior Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) followed that up with a double that threatened to score the tying run, but Reynolds slipped rounding third and was thrown out there for the second out before a ground out ended the Bruins' chances.
SEMO found a way to get things done in the bottom of the tenth, putting together two base hits to make a six-run comeback and take the game 9-8.
