Date Posted: 5/23/2007

DeLand, Fla. - The No. 3 Belmont Bruins rallied to beat the No. 4 seed Jacksonville Dolphins 12-7 in the second game of the 2007 Atlantic Sun Baseball Championship presented by Progress Energy, setting a school record for wins in a season with 32. Belmont came from behind in the eighth inning off Jacksonville pitcher Matt Gardner to counter the Dolphins 5-run eighth inning with a 8-run inning. The inning was capped off with a double steal by Matt Reynolds and Packy Elkins, which put them both in scoring position. The next pitch, Ben Petsh drove both of them in with a single to right field. Catcher, Brady Manifold had a nice day for the Bruins going 2-4 with 3 RBI and 3 runs.

Jacksonville catcher, Donnie Vickers did everything in his power to help the Dolphins, torching Bruin pitching for three doubles and 4 RBI. His third double of the day came in the Dolphins 5-run eighth inning. Vickers' three doubles in one game tied an Atlantic Sun tournament record.

Belmont will play the No. 2 seed Mercer Bears at 7 p.m. Thursday. Jacksonville will play the winner of No. 1 seed Stetson and No. 6 seed Lipscomb in an elimination game for the Bruins at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

Ryan McArdle led off the second for the Dolphins and reached 2nd base on an error by center fielder, Carlo Testa. Thomas LePage sacrificed McArdle over to 3rd, only to have Mike McCallister pop out for the second out of the inning. JU's catcher Donnie Vickers came through with the two out double down the 3rd base line to bring in McArdle to give the Dolphins a 1-0 lead.

Belmont tied the game up with two outs in the fourth inning. With Ben Petsch on 2nd base and Derek Wiley on 1st base, Daniel Wagner hit a grounder to JU second baseman, Logan James, and the ensuing throw sailed over the first baseman's head allowing Ben Petsch to tie the game 1-1. Petsch had reached base on a walk. Justin Young struck out the side in the inning, ringing up Wilson Tucker, Kane Simmons and Brady Manifold.

After retiring eleven straight batters, Charles Lee finally allowed a baserunner when Chuck Opachich singled to center field with one out in the sixth inning. Opachich didn't get past 1st base as A-Sun player of the year, Pete Clifford flied out to left, and Opachich was gunned down stealing by Belmont catcher Brady Manifold.

Kane Simmons, the conference leader in home runs, led off the Belmont sixth inning with a single up the middle. Daniel Wagner gave Belmont their first lead when he crushed a Justin Young pitch down the right field line for an RBI triple, bringing Simmons home to score. That ended Justin Young's day, as Tim Brown came in on relief. Brady Manifold, who had 18 RBI coming into the tourney, singled to left field, bringing home Wagner to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead. A-Sun preseason pitcher of the year, Matt Dobbins, relieved Brown to face Carlo Testa. Dobbins struck out Testa for the first out of the inning, but Matt Reynolds singled up the middle, bringing home Manifold, who had advanced to 2nd base on a wild pitch, for the 4-1 lead. Reynolds was then caught in a pickoff and tagged out between 1st and 2nd base. Packy Elkins ended the Bruins inning lining out to third base.

Justin Young finished the day pitching 5 innings, allowing 3 runs, 2 earned, striking out 5 and walking 2.

Jacksonville fought back after Belmont's three-run inning with Donnie Vickers doubling to the left field wall driving in Mike McCallister who singled with two outs, cutting the Bruins lead to 4-2. Vickers RBI double was his second RBI double of the day. Matt Lopez lined out to center to end the Dolphins seventh inning rally.

Logan James ended a great at-bat against Charles Lee with a hard single to right field to lead off the top of the eighth inning. Kevin Ferreira followed James with a bloop single to left that Kane Simmons had a hard time finding in the sun. Chuck Opachich had an unsuccessful sacrifice bunt attempt, and Charles Lee threw out Logan James at 3rd base. Pete Clifford made up for Opachich's mistake by drilling an RBI single to right field. Clifford's A-Sun leading 54th RBI of the season brought JU within one run of Belmont at 4-3 and ended the day for Belmont starter, Charles Lee.

Lee tossed 7.1 innings allowing 5 runs, 4 earned, while striking out 1 and walking 1.

Sophomore Jimmy Stanley relieved Lee and inherited two runners with one out in the inning. Ryan McArdle took Stanley's one ball, two strike offering to left field for a single to load the bases for Thomas LePage. LePage reached on an error by Ben Petsch and the tying run crossed the plate. Mike McCallister then singled to right field to give JU the 5-4 lead. Donnie Vickers added on to his huge day with a bases loaded double bringing in two runs. Vickers finished the day with three doubles and four RBI.Stanley stayed in the game, walking Matt Lopez to load the bases again. Logan James, who batted first in the inning for the Dolphins, struck out in his second at bat in the eighth. Brad Simmons grounded out to end the Jacksonville five-run eighth.

Belmont rallied in the bottom of the eighth loading the bases with no outs against second team all-conference pitcher Matt Gardner. Matt Reynolnds brought the first run home of the inning with a single through the right side of the infield scoring Daniel Wagner cutting JU's lead to 7-5. Packy Elkins battled through a long at-bat to single to left field to drive in Brady Manifold and bring Belmont within one run at 7-6. Wilson Tucker drove a ball to center field with two strikes on him for a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Tucker's 37th RBI of the season, driving in Carlo Testa, tied the game at 7-7. Reynolds and Elkins successfully executed the double steal to get to 2nd and 3rd base. The next pitch, Ben Petsch pushed a single past the drawn in infield to drive in both Reynolds and Elkins to give the Bruins a 9-7 lead.

Adam Rapoza relieved Gardner and walked the first batter he faced, Derek Wiley. Kane Simmons followed the walk with an RBI double driving in Petsch. Rapoza then beaned Daniel Wagner, who led off the inning for the Bruins. Brady Manifold then dropped a single into left field driving in two runs to give the Bruins a 12-7 lead. The runs scored were Manifold's second and third RBI of the day. Matt Reynolds grounded out to end the Bruins 8-run eighth inning.

Chris Manning finished off the win for Belmont with a perfect ninth inning.

Belmont improves their all-time A-Sun tournament record to 2-2, and 1-1 vs JU in tourney action. Jacksonville drops to 14-11 in A-Sun tourney play.

Related Links:
 • Championship Coverage