NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont starting pitcher Joe Ruzicka tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout on Sunday, and the Bruins launched five home runs, as Belmont salvaged the series finale over the University of Evansville Purple Aces with a 12-0 victory at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville, Tennessee.
Belmont would get all of the offense that it would need just two batters into the contest, as after a lead-off walk by Sam Slaughter, second baseman Jack Rando launched a two-run home run to left field to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead.
Belmont would add a solo home run in the second inning, and a three-run home run in the fourth inning off of UE starter Nick Smith (2-5) to build a 6-0 lead. Smith suffered the loss after giving up six runs on five hits, including three home runs in 3.1 innings.
Belmont would add a pair of solo home runs in the fifth inning, as Ruzicka held UE without a hit until the sixth inning, when senior shortstop Simon Scherry roped a ball through the left-side of the infield for UE’s first hit of the game. UE put the first two men on in the sixth inning, but a strikeout and a double-play ground ball ended the UE threat. Belmont would tack on four runs in the home-half of the sixth inning to provide the final margin of victory and enact the mercy rule in the series finale.
Outfielder Michael Lareau went 3-for-3 with a double and a home run out of the bottom spot in the Belmont batting order to lead the Bruins offensively. Evansville was limited to just three hits overall, with Scherry, graduate third baseman Brent Widder, and graduate first baseman Chase Hug each collecting a hit on the day.
With the victory, Belmont improves to 17-15 overall and 5-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Evansville, meanwhile, sees its four-game winning streak snapped and falls to 14-17 overall and 4-5 in the Valley with the loss. The Purple Aces will hit the road briefly on Tuesday with a mid-week game at Butler at 3 p.m. central time, before returning home to German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium next weekend for a three-game series against Illinois State beginning on Friday.
