Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Another come-from-behind victory secured Belmont University Baseball's series sweep over Murray State on Saturday. A big eighth inning cemented the Bruins' 4-3 victory.
Murray State took an early 1-0 lead after a leadoff double came around to score on a wild pitch, giving the Racers the early momentum.
Even though the Belmont offense struggled to get going early, starting pitcher, freshman Joshua South (Cookeville, Tenn.), dug in and put up three straight scoreless innings to keep the score 1-0 after four complete innings of play.
The Racers extended its lead in the top of the fifth by scoring two unearned runs to take a 3-0 lead.
After stranding one in the bottom of the fifth and consecutive three up, three down innings for the Belmont offense, things looked bleak for the Bruins.
Belmont, however, never gave up and started mounting a comeback in the eighth inning. The Bruins started gaining momentum in the top of the eighth, with a non-traditional double play. The fly ball and play at the plate ended the top of the inning with Belmont still in striking distance.
Senior Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) started the big bottom of the eighth with a walk. Junior Chandler Adkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) worked another walk and senior Devon Gardner (Maryville, Tenn.) wore a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Senior Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) put Belmont in the scoring column when he worked a bases loaded walk to put BU within a couple of runs. The biggest hit of the day came from freshman Grayson Taylor (Madison, Ala.). Down to his final strike, Taylor hammered a double down the left field line to tie the game 3-3. Senior Hagan Severance (Brentwood, Tenn.) then plated the winning run for the Bruins with a sacrifice fly for a 4-3 lead.
Heading into the top of the ninth, sophomore Kyle Brennan (Franklin, Tenn.) trotted to the mound to try and secure his third save in as many days. Brennan came up big, notching a strikeout and forcing two ground balls to secure the victory.
With the win, the Bruins are now tied for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 14-7 record.
Belmont will be back in action Tuesday, April 23 for the second meeting with Lipscomb. The game at E.S. Rose Park is slated to start at 4:00 p.m. CT.
