Saturday, May 28, 2011

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After blowing a five-run lead, sixth-seeded Belmont regrouped to make school history as the Bruins captured their first Atlantic Sun Baseball Championship by hanging on for a 9-7 victory in a wild one against No. 4 seed Mercer on Saturday at Lipscomb’s Dugan Field.

Belmont (36-24) is the first sixth seed to win the tournament crown since Jacksonville in 2003. The Bruins needed just four games to do so, becoming the first No. 6 seed since UCF in 1997 to go undefeated. With the win, Belmont earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regional – also a first in school history. The 64-team tournament field will be announced at 12:30 p.m. (EST) on Monday on ESPN.

Belmont led 5-0 after half an inning but Mercer (39-20), the defending tournament champions, came back to tie the game twice. Deadlocked at 6-6 in the top of the eighth, the Bruins’ Drew Turner drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. That set the stage for Zac Mitchell, Belmont’s No. 9 hitter, against closer J.T. Odom, who was making his fifth appearance in as many games. Mitchell delivered with a triple off the right field wall to drive in Turner. Tournament Most Valuable Player Derek Hamblen followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to bring in Mitchell, which turned out to be the game-winning run.

---

Read the Atlantic Sun Insider Column: A-Sun Primed for Return to Multi-Bid Status

---

After the Bears scored a run in the eighth on Thomas Carroll’s RBI-groundout, Belmont added another insurance run in the top of the ninth. This gave the Bruins a two-run cushion as they called upon closer Jon Ivie to seal the victory. Ivie allowed two walks with one out but then got Mercer slugger Jacob Tanis looking on a called third strike. The drama ended when Joe Winker hit a chopper to Belmont first baseman Nate Woods. He tossed it to Ivie and he emphatically stepped on the first-base bag as the Belmont celebration and dog-pile ensued in the infield.

The close finish looked highly unlikely when Belmont scored five runs in the first inning. The Bruins rattled off five-straight hits and four runs before an out was recorded, leading to an early exit for Bears starter Brandon Love. He was pitching on just two days rest, having worked 6.2 innings on Wednesday. Love was also responsible for the fifth run, when relief pitcher D.J. Johnson gave up an RBI-single to Judah Akers.

Mercer, which lost to Belmont 6-4 on Friday, didn’t go away. The Bears loaded the bases in each of the first four innings. They tied the game in the third inning when Billy Burns struck a two-out single that scored Carroll. Dylan Craig’s two-out, RBI-double boosted the Bruins in front again in the fourth. But a wild pitch from Belmont reliever Blake Harvey allowed Evan Boyd to score from third.

Mercer’s David Teasley took the loss. He gave up the leadoff walk to Turner before Odom surrendered the triple to Mitchell. Garrett Fanchier (4-3) was credited with the win as Belmont used five different pitchers. Starter Josh Davis, like Love, didn’t last long, going just two innings. He allowed five runs – three earned – on five hits while walking three. Harvey pitched well in relief, allowing just one run on three hits in three innings of work. Ivie picked up his program-best 13th save of the year.

2011 A-Sun All-Tournament Team
Belmont - Pitcher - Chase Brookshire
Mercer - Pitcher - JT Odom
Jacksonville - Pitcher - Matthew Tomshaw
Belmont - Catcher - Matt Zeblo
Jacksonville - Infield - Adam Brett Walker
Belmont - Infield - Zac Mitchell
Mercer - Infield - John Moreland
Stetson - Infield - Mark Jones
Belmont - Outfield - Derek Hamblen
Stetson - Outfield - Mitchel Brennan
Mercer - Outfield - Billy Burns

Tournament Most Valuable Player: Derek Hamblen, Belmont

Follow the Atlantic Sun on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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.