Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Behind two home runs from Tommy Crider, the Belmont University baseball team soared to a 7-4 win over Evansville on Wednesday night at E.S. Rose Park.
It marked the first multi-homer game of Crider's career, and was the first time a Bruin hit two home runs in a single game since John Behrends did it against Tennessee Tech on April 21, 2021.
Lane Lamberth (W, 2-0) picked up the win in relief while Kyle Brennan (SV, 7) earned his NCAA-leading seventh save of the season.
Belmont (11-3) is now 3-0 in midweek games this season.
Evansville (3-10) loaded the bases in the ninth inning with one out, but the Bruins went to the bullpen and brought in Brennan, who retired two straight batters to give the Bruins their 11th win.
Belmont jumped on the board first in the opening frame when Logan Jarvis singled to right field to score John Behrends from second base.
In the second frame, Blake Barton reached on an error by the third baseman before Grayson Taylor singled, putting two men on. Crider stepped in and blasted his first home run of the season over the left-field fence to give Belmont a 4-0 lead.
Evansville responded with a two-run homer off of Dominic Baratta in the third inning, then tied the game, 4-4, in the top of the fifth with two runs on four hits.
Belmont retook control in the ensuing half inning, with Guy Lipscomb tripling to right-center field before coming in to score the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
The Bruins tacked on some insurance with a two-run home run from Crider in the sixth inning that was tattooed to left field once again.
Ethan Harden was dominant in relief for the Bruins, going 2 2/3 innings and retiring eight in a row with seven strikeouts after giving up a leadoff single to start his night.
Will Jenkins replaced him with one out in the eighth and struck out a Purple Ace to end the inning, but allowed three straight singles with one out in the ninth inning before being replaced by Brennan, who shut the door to end the inning.
Jordan Zuger started the game on the mound for the Bruins and went two solid innings without giving up a run.
Logan Jarvis went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and John Behrends finished 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Crider's five RBIs in the game was a new career-high for the native of Madison, Ala.
Belmont will travel to Birmingham, Ala., this weekend for their first road series of the season, as they match up against the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers.
The Bruins will have games at Young Memorial Field on Friday at 2 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m.
All three games will be streamed on CUSA.TV, and the Bruin Sports Network will carry live audio play-by-play for all the weekend's action free through Twitter.
Follow Belmont baseball on social media - @BelmontBaseball on Twitter and @belmontbaseball on Instagram - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
