WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Belmont 18, North Alabama 2
@Evansville 17,
SIUE 10
BELMONT 18, NORTH ALABAMA 2
NASHVILLE - Behind an explosive 14-run third inning, the Belmont University baseball team coasted to an 18-2 run-rule victory over North Alabama on Wednesday night in seven innings at E.S. Rose Park.
After the Lions put up two runs in the top of the third inning to take a 2-1 lead, the Bruins responded with 14 runs in the bottom of the third inning on eight hits, three walks, two hit batters, and three Lion errors to take a commanding 15-2 lead.
Each Bruin batter in the lineup came up to the plate twice in the frame, which saw three different North Alabama pitchers come to the mound and 14 Belmont players come to the dish with two outs alone. Belmont scored 13 of their 14 runs in the inning with two outs.
The 14 runs are the most in an inning for Belmont (32-17, 13-5 OVC) since they put up a then-NCAA-record 20 runs in the sixth inning against UT Martin on March 29, 2015, on the way to a 34-10 victory.
A parade of Bruins off the bench finished the game for Belmont, who picked up their 32nd win of the year, their most wins in a season since 2016, when they finished 33-27.
16 position players saw time on the diamond for the Bruins, a season-high, and 18 runs came across, also a season-high.
Aaron Hubbell (W, 1-2) earned his first win of the season in his first start of the year, going five strong innings with two strikeouts and only one earned run allowed.
Lane Lamberth pitched two scoreless frames in relief, allowing just one hit and recording a strikeout.
On offense, Guy Lipscomb finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs, Brodey Heaton ended his night 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs, Jack Capobianco finished 1-for-1 with a double, three RBIs, and a walk, and Carson Shacklett went 2-for-2 with two runs scored.
Belmont wrapped up their scoring with a two-RBI single from Drew Lowry in the bottom of the sixth inning.
EVANSVILLE 17, SIUE 10
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - For the second night in a row, SIUE baseball scored 10 runs in a losing effort. Evansville defeated SIUE 17-10 Wednesday.
Also for the second consecutive game a big inning proved to be the undoing for the Cougars. The Purple Aces scored nine times in the third inning.
The Cougars fell to 22-23 with the loss. Evansville is 28-18.
Trailing 1-0, SIUE got on the board in the second inning when Avery Owusu-Asiedu reached on a fielder's choice to bring in Brady Bunten, who doubled to start the inning. It was 3-1 Evansville in the third inning when Brett Johnson added to his record-setting home run season. Johnson connected on his 18th home run of the year to bring the Cougars within a run.
Evan Berkey hit a three-run home run and Simon Scherry added a three-run double as par of the Aces' nine-run third inning.
Coby Rogers (1-3) started and allowed 12 runs, six earned, in 2 2/3 innings for SIUE. He walked four.
Brennan Orf's two-run homer in the fourth made it 12-4. After an Evansville run in the bottom of the inning, Bunten added an RBI single in the fifth to make it 13-5.
Mark Shallenberger made it a 15-5 Evansville lead with a two-run double in the sixth inning.
SIUE plated four in the seventh to trim the Evansville lead to 15-9. Ole Arntson collected a pinch hit, two-run single, Orf added an RBI single and Braedyn Brewer scored on a wild pitch after reaching on single in the inning. The Purple Aces added two runs on two hits in the bottom of the inning. Brett Johnson doubled and scored on a hit by Connor Kiffer in the eighth inning.
Quinn Waterhouse worked 1 1/3 innings for the Cougars allowing a run. Kyle Dixon pitched a scoreless fifth inning. Position players Matthew Klein and Ole Arntson both appeared as pitcher for the Cougars. Klein allowed two runs in an inning. Arntson allowed two runs over two innings.
Evansville outhit SIUE 16-14.
Bunten led SIUE at the plate with three hits and an RBI. Johnson, Kiffer and Orf had two hits apiece. Orf finished with a team-high three RBIs.