Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Trailing 7-5 heading into the ninth inning, the Belmont University baseball team staged a wild comeback and won, 8-7, over Tennessee Tech on a walk-off pinch-hit single from Tommy Crider with two outs on Friday night at E.S. Rose Park.
Friday's victory is the second walk-off win for Belmont (20-10, 6-1 OVC) this season, and marks the Bruins' 20th win of the year.
Belmont has now won six of their last eight.
After Carson Shacklett struck out to start the ninth inning, Behrends drew a walk and Lipscomb singled to center field to send Behrends to third base. Brodey Heaton then singled off the pitcher's leg to drive in Behrends and bring the score to 7-6, with Bruin runners at first and second base.
With new third baseman Mason Landers at the plate for the first time in the game off the bench, Lipscomb and Heaton gambled with a huge double steal that put runners at second and third.
Landers then put the ball in play with a groundout to the shortstop, scoring Lipscomb and tying the game at 7-7 with two outs.
Crider dug in and sent a short looper into shallow right field that hit the outstretched glove of the Tennessee Tech shortstop before falling out and onto the turf for the game-winning hit.
When the dust cleared, the Bruins had scored three straight runs to secure the come-from-behind walk-off victory.
Belmont is now an OVC-best 6-1 in conference play.
The Bruins fell behind early, with Tennessee Tech (16-11, 1-3 OVC) homering on the second pitch of the game to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning and gathering four more runs in the third inning to lead 5-0.
Belmont scratched across one run in the bottom of the third inning on a Behrends sacrifice fly that scored Grayson Taylor.
Trailing 5-1 in the fifth inning, the Bruins hung a crooked number in the frame with a two-run double from Behrends to left-center that scored Shacklett and Taylor, before Lipscomb singled through the right side to score Behrends.
After stealing third, Lipscomb came home to score on an errant throw by the Tennessee Tech catcher, tying the game at 5-5.
Tennessee Tech got one run in the sixth and one run in the eighth to lead 7-5 heading into the ninth inning.
After Joshua South was knocked out after just three innings, Dominic Baratta was stellar in relief, going four innings and allowing just two runs on two hits while collecting four strikeouts.
Will Jenkins (W, 2-0) earned the win after coming on to toss the eighth and ninth innings, allowing no runs and just two hits to set the table for the Bruins' frantic comeback.
Lipscomb finished 3-for-4 with three stolen bases and an RBI, his eighth game of the year where he has tallied three or more hits. With his 26 stolen bases this season, Lipscomb is now tied for second in program history for stolen bases in a single season, trailing only Matt Reynolds, who stole 30 bags in 2005.
Behrends went 1-for-3 with three RBIs, and Heaton and Shacklett each finished with two hits.
Behrends also made a highlight-reel catch in foul territory in the ninth inning to record the first out.
Belmont will look to clinch a series win when they welcome Tennessee Tech back to E.S. Rose Park on Saturday at 2 p.m. The first 100 fans in attendance will receive a powder blue Bruins script t-shirt modeled after Belmont's signature Saturday uniforms.
The live audio play-by-play of Dr. Rich Tiner will be carried on the Bruin Sports Network, and live stats will be available at BelmontBruins.com.
