Belmont Routs #21 South Carolina, 11-2

COLUMBIA, S.C. - - Belmont University (5-2) returned to Founders Park Saturday afternoon for the second game of the weekend series against #21 South Carolina (6-1). After yesterday's 8-1 loss, Belmont stunned a sellout crowd of 8,242 fans today and won, 11-2.
 
Bruin Bullets

• The 11-2 win over #21 South Carolina was the first time Belmont defeated a Top 25 opponent since March 21, 2018 (defeated #8 Vanderbilt 8-4).
• Starter Jake Timbes improved to 2-0, after his five-inning performance on the mound. Timbes allowed one run on five hits, and stranded three runners on base. Through two starts, he owns a 0.90 ERA.
• Hank Liss and Bill Duby both tossed two innings out of the bullpen. Liss, in his third outing of the season, allowed one unearned run on two hits, with four strikeouts. Duby allowed two hits, no runs, and fanned four Gamecocks. Both pitchers set new season highs in strikeouts.
• Brodey Heaton and Landon Godsey homered. Heaton hit a two-run bomb in the eighth inning, and went 1-for-3 in the game. Godsey launched his team-high third home run, and knocked in three runs.
• Max Blessinger went 2-for-5 at the plate, with a double and the first triple of the season for Belmont.
• Michael Lareau's first hit as a Bruin was a two-RBI double in the fifth inning, to give Belmont the lead.
• Belmont's pitching staff stranded 13 Gamecocks on the bases.
• Six Bruins recorded an RBI.
• The last time South Carolina lost in front of a sellout crowd was April 29, 2023, against Auburn.
• The last time South Carolina lost at home to a non-Power Five opponent was May 17, 2022, to Charlotte.

Belmont went 1-2-3 in the first inning. South Carolina's Parker Noland hit a one-out double in the bottom half, for the first hit of the game. Jake Timbes avoided trouble with two fly outs, and left two runners stranded.
 
South Carolina's Tyler Causey reached base on an error in the second inning, and moved the third on a two-out single from Will Tippett. Timbes, again, came up big as Blake Jackson popped up the Landon Godsey behind the plate.
 
The Bruins got the leadoff man aboard in the fourth inning with an error by Parker Noland on a Jack Rando ground ball. Starter Dylan Eskew drew weak contact from the next three hitters, to leave Rando at second, to end the inning.
 
The first run of the game was scored in the home half. With two outs, Dylan Brewer laid down a bunt single. Gavin Casas hit a double to the right-field corner, and Brewer scored from first. South Carolina led 1-0 after the fourth.

Belmont's offense exploded in the first fifth, with only one hit in the inning. Eskew showed fatigue and struggled with the command. Sam Slaughter was walked to start the inning, and Rando was hit for the second time. Michael Lareau's first hit as a Bruin was a double to left field, which scored both runners. Two batters later, Godsey hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Lareau. The Gamecocks didn't score in the inning. Belmont led after the fifth.
 
 The Bruins put another crooked number on the scoreboard in the sixth. Max Jones extended his hit streak to five games with a leadoff single. Brodey Heaton was hit in his second at-bat, which put runners on first and second with no outs. Max Blessinger roped a double to the right-field corner, which scored Jones easily. Right fielder Ethan Petry overthrew the cutoff man, which allowed Heaton to score, as Belmont went up 5-1.
 
 South Carolina responded in the bottom of the inning. Hank Liss came into pitch for the Bruins. A one-out error from Heaton allowed Causey to reach base. Brewer stepped up and delivered the first triple of the season for the Gamecocks, and scored Causey. After the sixth, Belmont led 5-2.
 
Liss displayed grit and resilience in the seventh inning. He hit the leadoff man Jackson, which energized the crowd. Liss struck out the next two hitters. Cole Messina delivered his first hit of the series, and put a runner in scoring position. Liss dug deep and capped off his outing was a backwards-K, as the freshman struck out the side.
 
 Belmont blew the door off the hinges with a three-run eighth inning. After a leadoff walk, Heaton blasted a two-run bomb to left-center field. His second home run gave Belmont a 7-1 lead. The scoring didn't end for Belmont, as Blessinger followed Heaton with a triple. Jack Rando singled to the left side, and Blessinger scored standing up. Belmont led 8-1 going into the bottom of the inning.
 
 Bill Duby came into pitch for the Bruins in the eighth. He struggled with command early, as he allowed a single and walk to start his outing. Duby silenced the crowd, and all hopes of a Gamecocks' comeback, as he struck out the side, with three looking strikeouts.
 
Belmont reached double-digits on the scoreboard in the ninth inning. After an error from the new shortstop Lee Ellis, Godsey belted his third home run of the season to right field. Mason Landers singled the next at-bat, and scored on a two-out RBI single from Sam Slaughter four batters later.
 
 Duby sealed the upset for the Bruins in the ninth inning with his fourth strikeout of the afternoon, as Belmont shocked South Carolina, 11-2.
 
Belmont and #21 South Carolina return to action tomorrow afternoon in the rubber match of the weekend series. First pitch from Founders Park is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. CT. Coverage of the game and streaming options are available at 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.