COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University (6-3) visited Tennessee Tech (6-2) Tuesday afternoon, as the former OVC foes added another chapter in their long history. Despite an eighth-inning rally from the Golden Eagles, Belmont prevailed 9-8 courtesy of senior
Max Jones's five-RBI performance.
Bruin Bullets
- Max Jones went 3-for-5 at the plate, hit a three-run home run, and drove in the go-ahead RBI in the ninth inning. His five RBIs are a new career high.
- Pete Daniel, Landon Godsey, and Mason Landers had multi-hit games.
- Brodey Heaton doubled.
- Jeff Clark delivered a pinch-hit two-RBI single in the eighth inning.
- Landers went 3-for-5 and hit his second home run of the season; a two-run shot in the fifth inning.
- Hank Liss picked up his first career win, along with four strikeouts.
Belmont put a run on the scoreboard in the first inning.
Landon Godsey doubled to left field with one out.
Max Jones singled to center field two batters later.
Tennessee Tech responded with a run of their own in the home half. Austin Turner led off with a triple down the right-field line. He scored on a sacrifice fly from Nicho Jordan to right field.
Jones put more runs on the board for Belmont in the top of the third.
Pete Daniel led off with a single down the right-field line.
Landon Godsey singled after. Two batters later, Jones hit an opposite-field three-run home run. His first big fly of the year gave Belmont a 4-1 lead.
After a Belmont pitching change, Tennessee Tech' Turner his a solo shot to right-center field.
Cade Granzow ended the inning with a ground out to Daniel at shortstop, and stranded a runner on third base. Belmont led 4-2 after three innings.
Mason Landers joined the scoring party in the fifth inning. Daniel led off the top of the inning with a double to right-center field. With one out, Landers hit a two-run blast to right field. Heaton doubled two batters later, but was left stranded. The Bruins' second home run of the game expanded their lead, 6-2.
The Golden Eagles responded with three unanswered runs in their next two at-bats. They tacked on a run in the fifth on a one-out RBI single from Hayden Gilliland. Tennessee Tech added two more in the sixth on two solo home runs from Preston Ford and Preston Steele. Belmont was clinging to a 6-5 lead going into the seventh.
Belmont finally had an answer for the Golden Eagles in the eighth inning. After two quick outs,
Sam Slaughter reached on a throwing error from Steele at short.
Ty Allen singled up the middle, Slaughter caught Jordan slacking on fielding the ball, and took an extra base. Pinch hitter
Jeff Clarke stepped into the box with runners on second and third, with two outs. He delivered and drove in both runners on a single past a diving second baseman. Belmont added insurance, and led 8-5 going into the bottom half of the inning.
Tennessee Tech was starting to chip away at
Blake Ciuffetelli on the mound. The lefty exited the game with one and two runners on base. Freshman
Hank Liss came into the ball game, but struggled with finishing hitters. The Golden Eagles scrapped three runs across, and tied the game on a Gilliland single to the left side. Liss got out of the jam with his second strikeout of the inning, and left two runners aboard. It was a new ball game heading into the ninth tied, 8-8.
Belmont scored with two outs once again.
Mason Landers doubled to right-center field, for the first base runner of the inning. Jones stepped up once again, as he singled through the left side. Jones's fifth RBI of the game set a new career high, and gave Belmont the 9-8 lead.
Liss slammed the door in the bottom half, as he went 1-2-3 with two strikeouts. Belmont outlasted the Golden Eagles, 9-8.
On Deck
Belmont will host Little Rock (4-4) for a weekend series at E.S. Rose Park. The series will begin Friday, March 1, with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. CT. Coverage and live stats for the series will be 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
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