EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The visiting Belmont Bruins launched four more home runs on Sunday, including a game-winning two-run shot in the top of the 13th inning of game two, to sweep a doubleheader from the University of Evansville baseball team at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville by scores of 9-2 and 7-5.
“This was a rare tough weekend at home for our ballclub,†said UE head coach Wes Carroll.  “Credit Belmont, though, because they really played extremely well and earned the sweep.
“We just couldn’t put together the big inning offensively all weekend long.  We can’t hang our heads though, as we have a quick turnaround with a game on the road Tuesday at Purdue.â€
In the opener, the Bruins used five extra-base hits, including two home runs, to take control of the contest and cruise to a 9-2 win.  Back-to-back two-out doubles in the first inning gave Belmont a 1-0 lead, and a grand slam by catcher Blake Barton in the third inning off UE starter Donovan Schultz (4-2) would break things open and give Belmont all of the offense it would need.
Belmont would build a 6-0 lead on a solo home run by outfielder Ethan Harden in the fourth inning, before UE would answer back with single tallies in the fourth and sixth innings on a bases-loaded walk and an RBI double by senior third baseman Brent Widder to cut the deficit to 6-2.  Evansville would threaten in the eighth inning, putting two men on with two outs, but Harden would come on in relief to get out of the jam and then pitched a scoreless ninth inning buoyed by three insurance runs in the top half of the frame to record his fifth save of the year.
In the nightcap, UE would strike first on an opposite field home run by fifth-year outfielder Eric Roberts leading off the bottom of the first inning to grab a 1-0 lead.  Belmont would respond with a two-run home run by first baseman Brodey Heaton in the fourth inning to grab a 2-1 lead, but UE would answer back to tie the game at 2-2 on an RBI double by junior catcher Brendan Hord in the home-half of the fourth inning.
The game would remain tied at 2-2 until the seventh, when Belmont centerfielder Jeff Clarke launched an RBI double to left-center field to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead.  Clarke would add an insurance run on an RBI ground out in the ninth inning to push the lead to 4-2, but Evansville would not go quietly in the ninth inning.
UE junior shortstop Simon Scherry would lead off the ninth with a single, and Widder would follow with a double down the left-field line to put two men in scoring position.  Fifth-year outfielder Danny Borgstrom then followed with a sacrifice fly and Hord delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 4-4 and force extra-innings.
The game would stay 4-4 until the 12th inning, when Belmont outfielder Drew Lowry came through with a two-out RBI single to grab a 5-4 lead.  Evansville would answer right back, though, as Roberts would crush his second home run of the game and 12th home run of the season to dead center field with two outs to send the game tied at 5-5 to the 13th inning.  In the 13th, Clarke would play the hero for the Bruins, as he launched a long home run to right-center field to provide Belmont the final margin of victory, 7-5.
Offensively, Barton had five hits and five RBI in the two games to help lead the Bruins.  Scherry had four hits – all in game two of the doubleheader – to lead UE offensively, while Roberts went 2-for-6 with two home runs and Hord went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two doubles in the nightcap.  Scherry also broke the UE single-game record for defensive assists in the nightcap with 11 helpers.  It finished just one assist shy of the Missouri Valley Conference single-game record, and three assists shy of the NCAA single-game mark.
With the doubleheader sweep, Belmont improves to 17-12 overall and 5-1 in the MVC.  Evansville, meanwhile, falls to 16-11 overall and 3-3 in the Valley.  The Purple Aces will return to action on Tuesday evening with a 5 p.m. central contest at Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana.  The game can be seen live on Big Ten Network Plus and can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS and the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Network from Learfield.
