Baseball Suffers 10-5 Road Loss to UIC on Sunday Afternoon

CHICAGO – Despite out-hitting their opponent, the Belmont University baseball team fell on the road, 10-5, to UIC on Sunday afternoon at Curtis Granderson Stadium in Chicago.
 
Belmont (21-27, 6-15 MVC) recorded 13 hits to 11 for UIC (22-21, 9-12 MVC), but the Bruins committed three errors and struggled to limit the Flames' red-hot offense.
 
Blake Barton finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while Jeff Clarke and Jack Rando each recorded two hits.
 
Simon Tesh tossed three scoreless innings in relief from the mound, keeping Belmont within striking distance down the stretch. The freshman allowed just one baserunner while striking out two.
 
Belmont struck first in the opening inning as Brodey Heaton singled with two outs and Sam Slaughter smashed a double to left field to score Heaton all the way from first, giving the Bruins a 1-0 advantage.
 
However, UIC would tag Ethan Harden (L, 3-2) for three runs in the second inning and four runs in the third inning to lead, 7-1.
 
UIC was able to put the game away for good with a three-run fifth inning, taking a 10-1 lead.
 
Belmont fought back, getting back-to-back hits to start the seventh inning as Barton singled to left field before Rando cranked a rope double down the left field line to put men at second and third.
 
Sam Kirkpatrick dug in and tripled down the right field line to drive in both runners, securing his first triple as a Bruin and picking up his third and fourth RBIs of the weekend.
 
Clarke placed a grounder down the first base line to drive in Kirkpatrick from third and make it a 10-5 game.
 
UIC would go to their bullpen and record the final six outs to secure the sweep for the Flames.
 
With a single in the sixth inning, junior third baseman Mason Landers extended his on-base streak to 23 games.
 
Up Next
 
Belmont will begin their final homestand of the season on Tuesday as they welcome Lipscomb to E.S. Rose Park for the second edition of the Battle of the Boulevard.
 
Belmont took down Lipscomb earlier this season, 4-1, on March 8 at Ken Dugan Field.
 
First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
The game will not be streamed on ESPN+, but 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.