Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tommy Crider homered, Joshua South picked up his third win, and the Belmont University baseball team opened up conference play with an 8-4 victory over Austin Peay at E.S. Rose Park on Friday night.
Belmont (15-8) is now 13-5 at home this season.
The Bruins hit 6-for-12 (.500) with runners in scoring position, while the Governors went just 1-for-12 in the same category.
Guy Lipscomb went 3-for-3 with four runs scored and two stolen bases. Brodey Heaton finished 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, and John Behrends also collected two hits, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Joshua South (W, 3-1) picked up his third win of the season with 5.2 strong innings on the mound, allowing a pair of home runs but collecting six strikeouts.
Will Jenkins (SV, 1) earned the first save of his career by recording the final four outs.
Austin Peay jumped ahead with a two-run homer off of South in the first inning.
However, Belmont responded by getting five straight hits in the bottom of the opening inning, first with an RBI single from Lipscomb that scored Carson Shacklett, then a double steal from Lipscomb and Jackson Campbell that scored the senior catcher, then two more RBI singles from Brodey Heaton and John Behrends.
When the dust cleared in the first frame, Belmont led 4-2. After the Governors got a solo home run in the third inning to cut the deficit to just one, Tommy Crider delivered a two-run blast to left field to make it 6-3 in favor of the home side.
The home run was the third of the season for Crider, and his first since his two-homer game against Evansville on March 9.
Logan Jarvis picked up two more RBIs on the night, first on a sacrifice fly that scored Lipscomb in the fifth, then on a single up the middle to drive in Lipscomb again, this time in the seventh.
Ethan Harden tossed two innings in relief, scattering three hits and one run to set the table for Jenkins' save.
Belmont will take on Austin Peay on Saturday at 2 p.m. at E.S. Rose Park. Belmont LHP Andy Bean (3-1, 3.47 ERA) will face Austin Peay LHP Harley Gollert (1-3, 4.20 ERA).
Dr. Rich Tiner will have the live audio play-by-play call on the Bruin Sports Network, with coverage beginning at 1:50 p.m. Live stats will be available at BelmontBruins.com, and in-game updates will be posted to Twitter by @BelmontBaseball.
