Friday, May 25, 2007

DeLand, Fla. - The No. 3 seed Belmont Bruins eliminated the No. 1 seed regular season champion Stetson Hatters 18-5 in the final game of day three of the 2007 Atlantic Sun Baseball Championship presented by Progress Energy. Belmont jumped on the Hatters early and never looked back. Kane Simmons led the way for the Bruins going 3-4 with 5 RBI, 4 runs, a double, a stolen base and was hit by two pitches. The Bruins sprayed 16 hits in their 18-run barrage. Stetson committed five erros in the game. Belmont scored in seven of the eight inning in which they batted.

Belmont advances to Championship Saturday to face the No. 4 seed Jacksonville Dolphins at 1 p.m. Jacksonville must beat the Bruins twice to win the championship. Belmont just needs one more win. If JU wins the first game on Saturday, the final game of the tournament will be played approoximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of it. Belmont beat the Dolphins 12-7 on day one of the tournament. The Atlantic Sun Champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Belmont win eliminating Stetson all but guarantees that the Atlantic Sun will place two teams in the NCAA tournament field of 64. Stetson is expected to recieve an at-large bid.

Belmont jumped on the Hatters early taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Matt Reynolds walked to open up the inning and advanced to second on a Packy Elkins ground out. Wilson Tucker then worked a free pass to put runners on first and second. Ben Petsch struck out swinging on a wild pitch and Reynolds and Tucker advanced a base. Stetson catcher, Mark Rood, tried to throw the ball to first to get a running Petsch. The ball hit Petsch in the back allowing Reynolds to come home. Tucker advanced to third. Petsch was out on the play because first base was occupied, so Rood's throw was uneccesary.

Derek Wiley then crushed one to deep left-center and Justin Bass dropped the ball allowing Tucker to come home to put the Bruins up 2-0. Kane Simmons singled to bring home Wiley for Belmont's first hit of the inning. Simmons then stole second and advanced to third on the Hatters third error of the inning. Derek Wagner singled Simmons home to put the Bruins up 4-0.Wagner advanced to second on Justin Dechert's second wild pitch of the inning before Brady manifold struck out swinging to end the inning. All four runs scored in the inning were unearned.

Belmont was right back at it in the bottom of the second inning. Carlo Testa led the inning off with a walk and Matt Reynolds followed with a single. Packy Elkins sacrificed both runners into scoring position. Wilson Tucker was intentionally walked to load the bases for Ben Petch who delivered with a two-rbi single to right-center field to give the Bruins a 6-0 lead. That ended the day for Stetson starter, Justin Dechert. Nick Pugliese relieved Dechert and inherited runners on the corners with one out. Petsch stole second to get into scoring position on the 1-1 count to Dererk Wiley. Wiley struck out for the second out of the inning, bringing up Kane Simmons with two outs. Simmons took Pugliese's first pitch and put it over the right field wall for a three-run home run, giving Belmont a 9-0 lead. Daniel Wagner grounded out to end the inning. Simmons home run was his A-Sun leading 14th of the season. It was Belmont's second three-run home run of the tournament. Wilson Tucker knocked one out in the Bruins win over Mercer. Justin Dechert lasted 1.1 innings for the Hatters giving up 8runs, 4 earned. He struck out 2 and walked 4.

Belmont continued to pour it on in the third inning, putting another run on the board to take a 10-0 lead. Brady Manifold scored on a sacrifice fly by Packy Elkins. Manifold singled to lead off the bottom of the third inning.

Stetson finally got a hit off Belmont starter Brandon Paetznick in the fourth inning. They were also able to finally score. Jeremy Cruz doubled to center field driving in Justin Bass to cut the Bruins lead to 10-1. Adam Tindle advanced to third on the double. Bass led off the inning with a single. Erich Holland popped up to first base for the first out of the inning. Pinch-hitter Aaron Crittenden hit a weak grounder to third, but reached base for an infield single to load the bases. Josh Clendinin pinch-ran for Crittenden and Brian Pruitt pinch-hit for Kevin Johnson. Brian Pruitt drove a ball to the right-center wall clearing the bases reducing the Belmont lead to 10-4. Shane Jordan grounded out to second, advancing Pruitt to third base. Paetznick then beaned Casey Frawley putting runners on the corner for Braedyn Pruitt.

Brandon Paetznick left the game with a 2-0 count on Braedyn Pruitt, giving way to reliever Josh Moffitt. Paetznick left the game with an apparent injury. Braedyn Pruitt hit a single to right field driving in Brian Pruitt for the Hatters fifth run of the inning to make it 10-5.

Belmont scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 13-5 lead. The inning included a 13 minute rain delay.

Shane Jordan collected his 332nd career hit with a single in the top of the sixth inning. Jordan's single put him eight hits shy of the A-Sun all-time career hits record. Casey Frawley's double play cleared the base paths for the Hatters. Kane Simmons continued to fill up the box score being hit by the Donovan pitch to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. Daniel Wagner pushed his second hit of the night into left field putting two men on for Brady Manifold. Manifold layed down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. Robby Donovan gave way to left-hander Ian Thompson who inhearited a one out, two men on situation. Carlo Testa took Donovan's first pitch to right field for a two-rbi single and his second and third RBI of the night giving the Bruins a 15-5 lead.

Belmont tacked on one more run in the seventh when ben Petsch came home on Casey Frawley's fielding error. It was Stetson's fifth error of the night, giving the Bruins a 16-5 lead. Robbie Elsemiller entered the game in the eighth inning, Stetson's fifth pitcher of the game. That ties an A-Sun record for most pitchers used in a tournament game, which was also tied by JU in their opening day loss to Belmont. Elsemiller worked himself into a one out bases loaded jam in his first appearance of the 2007 tournament. Matt Reynolds already came home on a Wilson Tucker single to make it 17-5. Kame Simmons came to the plate with a chance to improve his huge day. Elsemiller beaned him with his first pitch with the bases juicecd to make it 18-5 and giving Simmons 5 RBI on the day.

Belmont improves their all-time A-Sun tourney record to 4-2. Stetson drops to 41-32.