NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont baseball (6-4) hosted Little Rock (5-4) Friday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park. The teams combined for 32 strikeouts in the ten-inning game. Two late-inning solo home runs lifted the Trojans to victory, as Belmont fell in the series opener, 2-1.
Bruin Bullets
- Starting pitcher Will Pryor shoved for the Bruins. He went seven innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts. Pryor's strikeout total is the most by a Bruin pitcher since Andy Bean's 13 against UT-Martin on May 7, 2022.
- Mason Landers and Michael Lareau both recorded two hits.
- Sam Slaughter went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in the seventh inning.
- Bill Duby set a new season-high with five strikeouts.
Both teams struggled at the plate to start the game, and get runners on base.
Will Pryor struck out seven batters through four innings. His biggest inning was the third, as he stranded the bases loaded.
Belmont picked up their first hit in the bottom of the fourth.
Mason Landers singled through the left side.
Max Jones walked in the next at-bat, but both runners were left stranded on the bases.
Pryor recorded three consecutive 1-2-3 innings, and finished with 11 strikeouts in seven innings of work. The sophomore threw an effective 84 pitches, and issued only two free passes.
Belmont scored their lone run of the game in the bottom of the seventh.
Brodey Heaton singled with one out. After a wild pitch, Heaton advanced to second and into scoring position.
Sam Slaughter delivered an RBI single to right-center field, on the 3-2 pitch. Belmont scored the first run of the game and took the lead, 1-0.
Billy Duby came in to relieve Pryor in the eighth. He struck out the first two batters of the inning. Jake Wright hit a two-out single to left field, but Belmont's
Max Blessinger made a tremendous throw to get Wright attempting to stretch a double.
Little Rock tied the game up in the top of the ninth. A one-out solo home run from Luke Pectol potentially meant extra-inning baseball at Rose.
Belmont had a chance to walk it off in the home half. Landers and
Max Jones both singled with one out. Both runners advanced two batters later on a wild pitch.
Sam Slaughter was hit by the 2-2, two-out pitch, to load the bases. The Trojans went to the bullpen, and brought in Jacob Weatherley, who struck out
Max Blessinger for the final out. The game went into the tenth inning tied, 1-1.
Little Rock's Ben Harmon hit the go-ahead solo home run with two outs in the tenth inning.
Lareau reached base on his second hit of the night with one out, in the home half.
Landon Godsey singled two batters later. Weatherley struck out Landers to end the game, and handed Belmont an extra-inning loss at home. 2-1.
The teams return to action tomorrow at 2 p.m. CT. Coverage of the game is available at
belmontbruins.com.
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