NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont baseball delivered a dramatic finish on Saturday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park, walking off Illinois-Chicago, 2-1, in 10 innings to secure a 2-0 weekend.
In a tightly contested pitcher's duel, the Bruins leaned on timely hitting and dominant bullpen work to outlast UIC in extra innings.
Belmont struck first in the fourth inning when Charlie Davis reached and advanced into scoring position before Cavan McMeans delivered an RBI single to center field, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
UIC responded in the fifth, capitalizing on a double from Lucas Smith that brought home the tying run to even the game at 1-1.
From there, the game turned into a battle on the mound.
Right-hander McKale Stevenson set the tone for Belmont, tossing 6.0 strong innings while allowing just one run on five hits and striking out seven. Stevenson worked out of multiple jams to keep the Bruins in front early and ultimately earned the win.
The bullpen was lights out behind him.
Krish Gandhi provided a clean seventh inning before Brooks McDonnough took over and dominated down the stretch, striking out five across three shutout innings to earn the save and force extra innings.
Belmont had opportunities late in regulation but couldn't push across the go-ahead run, sending the game into the 10th inning.
In the bottom of the 10th, the Bruins delivered.
Cavan McMeans sparked the rally with a leadoff double to left field, putting immediate pressure on the Flames' defense. After advancing to third, Brady Holbrook stepped up and came through in the clutch, lining a walk-off RBI single to left to score McMeans and seal the 2-1 victory.
Offensively, McMeans led the way with a two-hit performance, including the game-tying RBI and the extra-inning double that set up the winning run. Holbrook added the decisive hit, while Charlie Davis and Landon Godsey each contributed extra-base hits.
UIC starter Brandon Bak kept Belmont off balance for much of the afternoon, allowing just one run over eight innings, but the Bruins broke through late against the bullpen to secure the win.
Bruins return to action for the final game of the series tomorrow at 1:00 PM at E.S. Rose Park.
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