Box Score CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The Belmont University baseball team fell short in the series finale at Austin Peay on Saturday, where the Governors defeated the Bruins 11-8 at Raymond C. Hand Park to take the Ohio Valley Conference series.
Sophomore John Behrends tied a career-high four hits in five at-bats, scoring a career-high four runs while hitting his third home run of the season in the process. Junior Korey Bell recorded a pair of strikeouts in 1.1 innings pitched for the Bruins on the mound.
As the Bruins had done the entire series against Austin Peay, Belmont quickly got to work in the top of the first inning. Two leadoff walks set up the first two runs of the game thanks to an RBI single from sophomore John Behrends and a sacrifice fly from junior Logan Jarvis, with a double down the third base line from sophomore Jack Capobianco giving the Bruins a 3-0 lead.
Collecting a leadoff single and a double in the bottom of the first inning, Austin Peay scored two runs off a groundout and a single through the left side of the field to cut Belmont's lead to one run. The Governors tied the score in the bottom of the second inning after a leadoff double and sacrifice bunt, knotting it up with a sacrifice fly to left field.
Two singles in the bottom of the fourth inning set up the lead run thanks to an RBI single, with a three-run home run later in the inning giving the Governors a 7-3 advantage. Belmont, however, responded with a run rally of their own moments later.
A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases for the Bruins in the top of the fifth inning and Belmont capitalized off the opportunity, drawing two bases loaded walks to chip the Governors' lead to two runs. After two singles and a stolen base in the top of the sixth inning, an RBI single from Jarvis and a double play allowed the tying run to reach home plate.
Austin Peay responded with a by collecting a single and a walk in the following half-inning, hitting a three-run home run to give the Governors a 10-7 advantage. The Governors extended its lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, hitting a solo home run to left field to make it an 11-7 game.
Behrends hit his third home run of the season in the top of the eighth inning to cut the Austin Peay lead to three runs, but Austin Peay retired six of Belmont's next eight batters to finish the job.
Belmont (7-12, 4-5) returns to Rose Park for a five-game home stretch, starting with UT Martin on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
