Baseball's Furious Comeback Falls Just Short in 11-9 Loss to Murray State

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Belmont nearly erased a ten-run deficit but had their furious comeback fall just short in a 11-9 loss to Murray State on Saturday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park. 

Belmont (21-23, 6-11 MVC) trailed 11-1 in the fifth inning before ripped off eight unanswered runs to get within two heading into the final frame, but couldn't quite get over the hump. 

Mason Landers collected his third multi-homer game of his career, going deep twice off Racer pitching with a pair of solo shots. After launching a three-run homer on Friday, Landers now has three home runs in his last eight at-bats. 

Belmont hit four home runs in Saturday's game, with Max Blessinger and Sam Slaughter also clearing the fences as part of Bruins' comeback attempt. 

Dominic Baratta delivered a gritty effort on the mound in relief, tossing the final 7.1 innings of the contest after Jordan Zuger (L, 2-6) was knocked out in the second inning. 

Baratta allowed just three runs with nine strikeouts and two walks to allow Belmont the opportunity to storm back in the later innings. 

Midway through the fourth, Murray State (23-21, 9-8 MVC) had raced out to a 10-0 lead. 

Landers hit the first of his two home runs to lead off the fourth, a solo bomb to left field. 

Murray State would add a run in the top of the fifth to bring things to 11-1 in favor of the visitor. 

From there, it was all Bruins. 

Chase Katafias was hit by a pitch to lead off the fifth, setting the table for Blessinger to crank a two-run no-doubter to left field, bringing the score to 11-3. The home run was the second of the season for the junior outfielder. 

Max absolutely crushed this to the pavilion ??#ItsBruinTime pic.twitter.com/7Id9kh8v2c
— Belmont Baseball (@BelmontBaseball) April 29, 2023
 

The deficit would remain eight runs until the bottom of the seventh, where the Bruins hit around with Brodey Heaton, Jack Rando, and Katafias all tallying RBIs on the way to four more runs for the Bruins. 

Three of the four runs came across with two outs, but a strikeout prevented any more damage from being done, as Belmont cut things to 11-7. 

Belmont kept up the momentum offensively in the eighth after Baratta retired the side in order with a pair of strikeouts.  

A leadoff home run from Slaughter to right field made it a three-run game, and two batters later, Landers hit his second bomb of the day to left field to cut it to a two-run game at 11-9. 

HERE COME THE BRUINS.

2?-HOMER DAY FOR MASON LANDERS??@butter_landers1 | #ItsBruinTime pic.twitter.com/qAUvlfp8SE
— Belmont Baseball (@BelmontBaseball) April 29, 2023
 

In the ninth, Belmont got the tying run to the plate as Katafias worked a walk, but the Racers retired two in a row to end the game and even the series at one game apiece. 

Up Next 

Belmont and Murray State will play the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park. 

First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. 

Live audio play-by-play will be broadcast on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeartRadio, and live stats will be available on BelmontBruins.com. 

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.            

           #ItsBruinTime