NASHVILLE, Tenn. --Â Belmont baseball battled back from an early deficit but could not hold off a late surge, falling to Illinois-Chicago, 9-7, in Sunday's series finale at E.S. Rose Park.
The Bruins showed resilience throughout the afternoon, erasing a five-run deficit and tying the game late, but UIC used a pivotal ninth-inning rally to secure the victory.
UIC jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning and extended its advantage to 5-0 in the fifth following a three-run frame. Belmont answered immediately in the bottom half, igniting its offense behind a four-run inning highlighted by a three-run home run from Jake Maddox that cut the deficit to one.
After UIC added a run in the sixth, Belmont continued to respond. Charlie Davis delivered a clutch two-run double in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 6-6, capping off a strong offensive stretch for the Bruins.
The back-and-forth contest continued into the seventh, where UIC regained a 7-6 lead before Belmont answered once again. Brady Holbrook brought home the tying run after reaching on an error, evening the score at 7-7 heading into the late innings.
Turning point came in the top of the ninth inning.
With two outs and the game tied, UIC pieced together a rally, beginning with a double and an RBI knock to take an 8-7 lead. Moments later, with the bases loaded, Belmont issued a walk to Lucas Smith, forcing in an insurance run that pushed the lead to 9-7. That bases-loaded walk proved decisive, shifting momentum fully in favor of the Flames and putting the game out of reach. Belmont was unable to respond in the bottom half, as UIC closed out the game to secure the win.
Offensively, Davis led the Bruins with two hits and three RBIs, while Maddox also drove in three runs with his fifth-inning home run. Mike Sprockett added a two-hit performance as Belmont totaled eight hits on the day.
On the mound, Ridge Harvey started for Belmont, with multiple arms contributing in relief as the Bruins worked through a high-scoring contest.
Despite the loss, Belmont showed fight throughout, responding to every UIC push until the decisive ninth inning.
Up NextÂ
Belmont will head just down the street to take on Vanderbilt on Tuesday evening with first pitch at 6:00 PM.
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