This weekend, a three game sweep of the University of Tennessee Martin Skyhawks gave the baseball team a much-needed boost in the OVC standings. The Bruins are now 5-7 in conference play and hold a 13-18 overall record.
Game 1
Four consecutive runs sparked by RBI singles from Will Dodd and Jamie Ritchie in the second inning helped propel Belmont past the Skyhawks, giving Belmont their 60th win at Rose Park.
UT Martin earned its first hit of the day in the sixth inning behind a single to right from Max Balter.
Drew Ferguson led off the seventh with a solo shot over the right field fence to put the Bruins ahead 5-0.
The Skyhawks scored one run in the top of the ninth.
Junior pitcher Patrick McGrath was perfect through five innings. He allowed five hits, struck out a career-high seven and did not allow a walk during his complete game outing.
Game 2
Senior pitcher James Buckelew pitched eight and two-thirds innings and held a no-hitter through the first seven innings as Belmont took game two of the series 3-1.
The Bruins got on the board in the bottom of the third after a Tyler Walsh triple drove in Zach Hald. Drew Ferguson hit a sacrifice fly, bringing in Walsh to give Belmont a 2-0 advantage.
In the seventh inning, Brennan Washington hit an infield single and advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Hald. Ferguson drove in the Bruins’ third run off a single to center, bringing Washington home.
UT Martin scored an unearned run in the top of the ninth, but reliever Greg Brody struck out the Skyhawks’ last better, earning his fifth save on the season.
Game 3
Greg Brody continued his heroics from Saturday, knocking a grand slam over the left field fence for his first home run of the season as well as Belmont’s first grand slam in the bottom of the first inning.
The smash gave Belmont an advantage to build upon in their 6-3 win to sweep UT Martin.
Drake Byrd scored off a Skyhawk error in the bottom of the seventh after reaching base on a leadoff single. Tyler Walsh would reach home plate after a wild pitch.
Pitcher Austin Coley finished six and two-thirds innings, allowing five hits, two walks and 11 strikeouts.
Belmont begins a five-game road trip this Tuesday at Middle Tennessee with the first pitch slated for 6:00 p.m.