TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- After falling behind early, Belmont responded with one of its most resilient offensive performances of the season Friday night, erupting for 16 hits and overcoming a four-run first inning deficit to defeat Indiana State, 13-9, at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute. 

The Bruins showed relentless fight throughout the night, scoring 13 unanswered runs after trailing 5-0 and delivering timely hit after timely hit in a critical Missouri Valley Conference road victory. Belmont plated runs in four consecutive innings from the fifth through the seventh and held off multiple Sycamore comeback attempts late to secure the win. 

Indiana State struck quickly in the opening inning, using four hits and a three-run homer from Jeremy Martinez to build an early 4-0 advantage. The Sycamores added another run in the fourth inning on a solo home run from Colin Sander to stretch the lead to 5-0. 

Despite the early deficit, Belmont never wavered.

The turning point came in the top of the fifth inning when the Bruins exploded for six runs on eight hits in one of their best offensive frames of the season. Gardner Lawrence started the rally with a single before Michael Lareau followed with another base hit. Brody Langlotz drove in Belmont's first run with an RBI single before Charlie Davis ripped an RBI double down the right field line to make it 5-2. 

Moments later, Landon Godsey delivered the biggest swing of the inning, lining a two-run single to left field that cut the deficit to one. After Brady Holbrook kept the inning alive with a single, Mike Sprockett tied the game with an RBI base hit before Jake Maddox capped the rally with an RBI single through the left side, giving Belmont a stunning 6-5 lead. 

Indiana State answered immediately with a solo home run from Carter Beck in the bottom half of the inning, but Belmont continued to apply pressure offensively. 

The Bruins regained the lead for good in the sixth inning. After Nicholas Stinson reached with a pinch-hit single and later scored, Godsey lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to make it 7-6. Belmont then capitalized on a Sycamore defensive miscue, and Maddox delivered again with a two-run single to center to push the lead to 9-6. 

Belmont added even more insurance in the seventh inning. Lareau opened the frame with a single before Davis crushed a two-run homer to left-center field, extending the lead to 11-6. Godsey followed with a bunt single and stolen base before Sprockett drove in two more runs with a clutch single to right field, giving the Bruins a commanding 13-6 advantage. 

Indiana State refused to go quietly, scoring twice in the seventh and once more in the eighth, but Belmont's bullpen settled in when needed. Krish Gandhi tossed the final two innings to earn the save and secure the victory. 

Belmont's offense was dominant from top to bottom in the lineup.

The Bruins finished with 16 hits while six different players recorded multi-hit performances. Davis finished 2-for-6 with a double, home run, three RBIs, and three runs scored. Godsey added two hits and three RBIs, while Holbrook reached base five times and scored three runs. 

Sprockett delivered one of his strongest performances of the season, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Maddox also drove in three runs on a pair of hits. Lareau scored twice and collected two hits, and Belmont received key contributions throughout the lineup in the comeback effort. 

On the mound, Zane Brown earned the win after battling through 6.1 innings against one of the MVC's top offenses. Brown struck out two while working through multiple jams and keeping Belmont within striking distance long enough for the offense to erupt. 

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