SIUE, Belmont Split Baseball Wins

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Brock Weimer finished with three hits and two RBIs and David Llorens allowed a single run over 6 2/3 innings Saturday as SIUE defeated Belmont 3-1 in the second game of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference baseball series.

SIUE improved to 4-4 in OVC play and 7-12 overall. First-place Belmont slipped to 6-2 in the OVC and 11-11 overall.

Llorens gave up only six hits, walked three and struck out eight in the longest start of his career. He won for the second weekend in a row to improve to 2-2.

"David did a fantastic job today," SIUE Head Coach Sean Lyons said. "He really was able to command his pitches and get deeper into the game. He gave us an effort today that we really needed after a loss yesterday.

The Bruins took advantage of a walk to take a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Chas Hadden walked then scored when Hunter Holland flied a ball into the outfield which fell in for a triple.]

Holland was 2-4 and had the only RBI of the game for Belmont.

SIUE answered with two runs in the third to seize the lead for good. Jordan Ross singled to start the inning and Jack Rigoni doubled. Eric Giltz hit a sacrifice fly to tie the score and Weimer added an RBI-hit to put SIUE up 2-1.

"It was good to see," Lyons said. "They score one and we bounce back with a two-spot there."

Weimer singled with one out in the fifth to score Dustin Woodcock to give SIUE the 3-1 edge. He finished 3-4 with the two RBIs to lead The Cougars at the plate.

Woodcock was 2-4 with a pair of doubles. Justin Perkins and Garrett Carmichael also were 2-4 for the Cougars, who outhit Belmont 12-7.

"It was somewhat frustrating in that we had 16 or 17 base runners but we are only able to score three," Lyons said.

The Cougars left eight runners on base and Belmont turned four double plays.

"We need to do a better job of capitalizing on our opportunities," Lyons said. "That was a game where we could have separated but we were unable to."

Belmont starter Joshua South fell to 2-2 with the loss. He worked five innings and allowed all three runs on 10 hits. He struck out four.

Braydon Bone, Effingham High School graduate, closed out the game with 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out three to earn his third save of the year.

"We have great confidence in our bullpen and Braydon made some quick work in his first inning and a third," Lyons added. "Now we go into tomorrow knowing we pretty much have a full arsenal in the bullpen."

Belmont 10, SIUE 7

Belmont scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to erased a 7-5 SIUE lead and the Bruins defeated the Cougars 10-7 in the finale of three-game Ohio Valley Conference baseball series at E.S. Rose Park.

The Cougars dropped two of three in the weekend series and fell to 4-5 in the OVC and 7-13 overall. Belmont maintained its hold on first place at 7-2 in the OVC. The Bruins are 12-11 overall.

The eighth inning opened with three consecutive walks from SIUE right-hander Cole Milam. Braydon Bone relieved Milam and issued a walk to force in a run to bring Belmont within a run at 7-6. After a strikeout, Belmont's Chandler Adkins and Devon Gardner smashed back-to-back two-run doubles to put the Bruins on top for good.

"I brought Bone into a tough spot," SIUE Head Coach Sean Lyons said. "Unfortunately we weren't able to limit the damage."

For the third straight day in the series, Belmont opened the scoring. The Bruins got on the board in the first after Grayson Taylor reached on a wild pitch after striking out. He then went to second on another wild pitch by SIUE starter Kenny Serwa. Gardner singled to drive Taylor home with the game's first run.

Like the previous games, SIUE had an immediate answer. The Cougars took control in the top of the second inning. Justin Perkins reached on an error with one out before Garrett Carmichael singled to put runners on the corners. Jordan Ross laid down a squeeze bunt, bringing Perkins to the plate to tie the game while reaching first in the process. Carmichael then scored on a wild pitch. Eric Giltz walked with two outs in the inning and Dustin Woodcock was intentionally passed to load the bases for Brock Weimer.

Weimer lined a pitch into left field. Belmont leftfielder Hunter Holland made a diving attempt only to have the ball get under him and to the wall for a three-run triple to make it 5-1. Raul Elguezabal followed with a single to right to plate Weimer and give SIUE a 6-1 lead.

Belmont scored single runs in the second and third innings before the Cougars added a run in the fourth on an RBI-double by Peyton Cordova-Smith to go up 7-3. Belmont scored twice in the fourth to cut it to 7-5.

"It was nice to jump on them early with the big second inning," Lyons said. "They were able to chip away at the lead over the first four innings. We just weren't able to ever deliver a knockout blow."

Weimer finished 3-5 with the three RBIs. He was 6 for 9 with five RBIs over the last two games of the series.

"Brock bounced back from a tough day on Friday," Lyons said. "He had some big hits and really produced the rest of the weekend."

Carmichael was 2-4. SIUE finished with nine hits for the game.

Serwa, who was making his first appearance of the year, worked three innings and allowed three runs on five hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out one.

"I am pleased to have Kenny back on the mound," Lyons said. "That will strengthen our staff."

Ryan Byrd gave up a pair of runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief. Chris Robinson finished the fifth after Belmont put two on with one out. The Bruins stranded both runners against Robinson.

"Chris Robinson did a nice job getting us out of that jam in the fifth," Lyons said.

Milam came on to start the sixth inning and retired the first six batters he faced, including five by strikeout before trouble befell the reliever in the eighth.

"Cole was electric for two innings before trouble brewed in the eighth," Lyons said.

He was charged three runs in two innings. He walked three, struck out five and fell to 0-1.

Belmont's Kyle Brennan worked 4 1/3 innings out of the bullpen, allowing just a single SIUE hit. He struck out two. He improved to 3-2 with the win.

Logan Bowen worked the ninth, allowing a single base runner on an error, for his fourth save of the year.

Adkins and Gardner each had two hits and three RBIs for Belmont. Holland finished the game 3-5 with an error.

SIUE plays host to Saint Louis Tuesday night at Simmons Complex.