Box Score NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Thanks to a ninth-inning walk-off single from sophomore Tommy Crider, the Belmont baseball team won its fifth game by walk-off with an 8-7 victory over Toledo on Tuesday at Rose Park.
Belmont has now extended its winning streak to eight games, marking the first time since the 2015 season where the Bruins have had eight or more consecutive wins. Sophomore John Behrends tied his career high of three hits and three runs scored while junior Kyle Brennan picked up his fifth win of the season after pitching the final two innings and collecting two strikeouts.
"With this team, it doesn't matter who's going to be the hero that day," Crider said. "We know that someone is going to come through and we're never out of it. No matter how far down we are, we're never out of the game."
Toledo took a six-run lead after three innings of play, but Belmont responded with a single from Behrends and an RBI single from junior Logan Jarvis in the bottom of the fourth inning to score the Bruins' first run. A fielding error by Toledo later in the inning allowed Belmont to score another run, cutting the Rockets' lead to four runs.
A solo home run in the top of the fifth inning put Toledo ahead 7-2, but junior Jackson Campbell capitalized with two runners on base in the bottom of the sixth inning by hitting a two-RBI double to cut the Rockets' lead down to three runs.
"Our upperclassmen, our seniors and juniors, have set that precedent in my opinion," head coach Dave Jarvis said. "When you have those type of late-inning heroics on a repeated basis and you have that type of belief in the dugout and that type of faith, I always look to our leadership for that. Our guys have created a tremendous amount of positive thinking in the dugout."
With two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh inning, freshman Brodey Heaton came up with a double to right center to cut Toledo's lead 7-6. Heaton scored the tying run later in the inning, advancing to home off a wild pitch.
Following Behrends' leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth inning, Belmont looked to advance the Chattanooga, Tenn., native to second base off a sacrifice bunt. Despite the Bruins being forced into a fly out, Behrends stole second base in the first pitch of the next at-bat to put the go-ahead run in scoring position.
"It was kind of tough because (their pitcher) kept trying to pick me off," Behrends said. "Eventually, I put it together and I stole it. That's what we needed. We needed me on second base."
Like the Bruins had done four times already this season, Crider hit a single up the middle on the next pitch to score Behrends from second base and give Belmont the 8-7 walk-off win.
"It's a very exciting team to be a part of," Crider said. "We have a lot of chemistry that I have never experienced on any other team. The recognition is good, but at the same time we have confidence in ourselves no matter what anybody else has to say about us."
Belmont continues conference play on Friday at Rose Park, taking on UT Martin at 4 p.m. for the first of a three-game series.
