TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Belmont Baseball battled for 11 innings Thursday night but ultimately fell 5-4 in heartbreaking fashion to Indiana State in the series opener at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute. The Bruins carried a late three-run lead into the eighth inning and reclaimed the advantage in the 10th before the Sycamores walked it off in the bottom of the 11th.
Belmont received a dominant start from Shane Duke, who turned in one of his best outings of the season. The right-hander tossed five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and striking out six, keeping Indiana State's offense off balance throughout the night. Duke retired 10 of the final 11 hitters he faced and helped Belmont seize control early.
The Bruins struck first in the top of the second inning. Cavan McMeans opened the frame with a double down the left field line and later advanced to third on a groundout. Gardner Lawrence followed with a sharp RBI single through the right side to plate McMeans and give Belmont a 1-0 lead.
Belmont added to the advantage in the fourth inning thanks to Lawrence again. After two quick outs, the designated hitter launched a solo home run to right field to extend the lead to 2-0. Lawrence finished the night 2-for-4 with two RBIs and was one of Belmont's biggest offensive contributors.
While the offense scratched across runs, Duke and the Bruin pitching staff continued to silence the Sycamores. Indiana State managed just one hit through the first five innings and did not advance a runner past second base during Duke's outing.
Belmont had opportunities to create further separation throughout the middle innings. Michael Lareau worked key walks and stole a base in the seventh inning, while Charlie Davis collected multiple hits at the top of the lineup. Brady Holbrook then delivered what appeared to be a crucial insurance run in the eighth inning when he crushed a solo homer to right field, pushing Belmont's lead to 3-0.
The turning point of the game came in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Indiana State capitalized on a defensive miscue to ignite its comeback. After Nomar Garcia singled and Mason Roell flew out, Carter Beck singled to center field and advanced to third on an error, allowing the Sycamores to score their first run of the night. Emil Estrella followed with an RBI single before Caden Miller ripped a game-tying RBI double into left center, erasing Belmont's three-run lead in a matter of moments.
Despite the momentum swing, Belmont answered in extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, Charlie Davis singled up the middle and later advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Brady Holbrook moved him to third with a groundout, another wild pitch allowed Davis to race home and give Belmont a 4-3 lead.
Indiana State responded again in the bottom half. Mason Roell singled with one out and eventually scored on an RBI single from Caleb Niehaus to tie the game at 4-4 and force an 11th inning.
Belmont threatened in the top of the 11th after Mike Sprockett singled and Jake Maddox walked to open the inning. A sacrifice bunt reached safely on an error and loaded the bases with nobody out, but Indiana State escaped the jam with back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout to keep the game tied.
That missed opportunity proved costly in the bottom of the inning.
Jeremy Martinez opened the frame with a double down the left field line before advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt that resulted in a throwing error. Tate Marland recorded two huge strikeouts to keep Belmont alive, but Mason Roell delivered the game-winning hit with a two-out RBI single through the left side to score the winning run and hand the Sycamores the 5-4 victory.
Holbrook finished 2-for-5 with a home run and RBI, while Davis added two hits and scored twice. Lawrence also had two hits, including his solo homer and two RBIs. McMeans chipped in a double as Belmont totaled nine hits on the night.
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