Box Score MARION, Ill. – #4 Belmont dropped a 6-5 heartbreaker to #1 Jacksonville State in 10 innings Thursday at the 2019 OVC Baseball Tournament.
After a scoreless first inning, Belmont took the lead in the top of the second. Senior Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) put BU in the hit column with a one-out double down the left field line to put a runner in scoring position. Freshman John Behrends (Chattanooga, Tenn.) took advantage with an RBI single in shallow center field to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
Jacksonville State responded in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs on four hits. After two complete innings, JSU held the 3-1 lead.
The game turned into a defensive battle for the next several innings. Freshman Joshua South (Cookeville, Tenn.) settled in nicely, going into the seventh inning. After the second inning, he allowed no runs, striking out four batters while walking just one.
The Bruins continued to battle on the offensive end but struggled for the timely hits. Down to its final out, BU mounted a ninth inning rally. Junior Chandler Adkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) started the rally by working a walk. Another walk put a runner in scoring position and senior Hunter Holland (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) notched an RBI single to put Belmont within a run. A hit batsman then loaded the bases and kept the Bruins alive. Freshman Grayson Taylor (Cullman, Ala.) stepped up to the plate and turned the game on its head. His two-strike blooper to right field fell just in front of the defense and scored two runs to give BU a 5-3 lead.
With new life, Belmont headed to the bottom of the ninth inning needing three outs to secure the victory. Jacksonville State dug in and tied things back up after a few hits put a couple of runs on the board.
Belmont was unable to score in the top of the tenth and would head to the bottom of the inning all tied 5-5. Jacksonville State secured the victory with a walk off home run for the 6-5 win.
Belmont will play again tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. CT.
