Box Score OXFORD, Miss. - The Belmont University baseball team scored three runs with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to tie the score against No. 4 Ole Miss, but the Rebels collected a walk-off single to take the win 8-7.
Freshman Brodey Heaton tied a career-high three hits in five at-bats, marking the second consecutive season where a Belmont player collected three hits against an opponent from a Power 5 conference. Andy Bean led the Bruins in pitching, recording three strikeouts in five innings pitched in his second start of the season.
Ole Miss' Tim Elko led the Rebels with two home runs, driving in half of the Rebels' runs. With the Bruins committing no errors, Sunday's game marked the third straight season where the Bruins had at least one game against a school from a Power 5 conference where they did not commit an error.
The Bruins got started in the top of the first inning with a walk and a one-out single, with junior Logan Jarvis driving in the game's first run with a sacrifice fly to left field. Heaton followed that up with his first career triple, extending the Belmont lead 2-0.
Ole Miss responded in the next half-inning with two solo home runs to tie things up at two runs a piece, taking the lead in the bottom of the second inning with a leadoff home run. After drawing a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning, two balks allowed the Ole Miss runner to advance to third base and eventually score off a sacrifice fly to extend the Rebels' lead to two runs.
A single, walk and a hit-by-pitch in the top of the fifth inning loaded the bases for Belmont in the top of the fifth inning, scoring off a wild pitch to cut the deficit to one. Ole Miss looked to extend its lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, hitting a double down the left field line and a runner advancing to third and eyeing home plate. Belmont, however, prevented any further damage thanks to a throw from Tommy Crider to Jack Capobianco, who tossed it to Campbell and allowed the catcher to beat the runner just before the Rebels were able to touch home plate.
Two walks and a fielder's choice advanced two Belmont runners in scoring position in the top of the seventh inning, with Jarvis recording his second RBI of the day with a sacrifice fly to tie the game 4-4. Ole Miss drew two walks in the bottom of the seventh inning, setting up three runs thanks to Elko's second home run of the day to give Ole Miss a 7-4 lead.
Belmont drew a hit-by-pitch and collected a single with no outs in the top of the ninth inning, but Ole Miss forced a strikeout and a groundout to put the Bruins down to their last out. An RBI single from Heaton kept the Bruins alive and cut the Ole Miss deficit to two runs, with freshman Mason Landers getting hit by the pitch to load the bases for Belmont. Sophomore Jack Capobianco capitalized off the opportunity, driving in two runs to tie the game back up at seven runs each.
Ole Miss, however, was not forced to an out in the final half-inning. After a single, wild pitch and a walk, Ole Miss came up with the game-winning RBI single through the right side to clinch the victory and sweep the series with Belmont.
Belmont (3-5) opens Ohio Valley Conference play on Friday, traveling to UT Martin on Friday at 3 p.m.
