Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Nashville, Tenn. – Sixth-seeded Belmont opened the 2011 Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Championship by upsetting and routing top-seeded Stetson with a 15-3 victory on Wednesday at Lipscomb’s Dugan Field.

It was the Bruins’ third-straight victory over the Hatters, who won the A-Sun Regular-Season Title with an impressive 23-7 league record. But Stetson (40-17) has struggled as of late, losing five of its last six and seven of 10. Three of those setbacks have come against Belmont (33-24), which took two of three against the Hatters last weekend to earn the sixth and final spot of the A-Sun tournament. Not since 2005 has the sixth seed defeated the No. 1 seed to open the tournament.

The Bruins led 3-0 entering the fifth when things got out of hand. First baseman Nate Woods scorched a two-run home run over the left-field wall for his 12th homer – tied for most on the team – of the year. It came just a half an inning after he slammed into the wall in foul territory to catch the third out of the fourth inning. After Woods’ home run, Stetson allowed back-to-back walks. Greg Brody then doubled down the left-field line to drive in two runs for a 7-0 lead.

Belmont continued to pour it on in the sixth, scoring six runs on five singles and three walks. The Bruins drew seven walks in the game, with six coming around to score.

Stetson used five different pitchers, with starter Lindsey Caughel (6-2) going 4.1 innings. He allowed six runs on four hits and three walks. He was pitching on just four-day rest, as he went seven innings in a 7-4 win against Belmont last Thursday.

Belmont starter Matt Hamann had just pitched on Friday, allowing only two runs on four hits in eight innings in a 5-2 victory over Stetson. He looked sharp again on Wednesday, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning. Mitchel Brennan broke that bid up with a two-out double just inside the right-field line. But Hamann (9-1) allowed just one run on three hits and two walks in six innings to pick up his ninth win, which leads the A-Sun this year and is tied for the most in Belmont single-season history.

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Read the Atlantic Sun Insider Column: Bruins Continue Successful Run Against Hatters

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The Bruins collected 14 hits, with Matt Zeblo, Tim Egerton, Zac Mitchell and Brody each had two hits. Brody doubled twice and now has 20 on the year – tied for third-most in a single season at Belmont. Egerton scored three times as did leadoff hitter Derek Hamblen, who stroked a two-home run – his 10th of the season – in the second inning.

The Bruins are now 13-4 against Stetson over the last five years and the 15 runs scored is the most the Hatters have allowed all season. Belmont, which didn’t qualify for the tournament last year, will play the loser of the Kennesaw State/Mercer matchup at 3 p.m. on Thursday. Stetson will try to snap a streak of six-straight tournament losses, which dates back to 2008, when it plays the loser of the Jacksonville/ETSU matchup at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts five of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.