Thanks to an error from the Belmont catcher in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Bisons won the Battle of the Boulevard 10-9 on Tuesday night at Ken Dugan Field at Stephen L. Marsh Stadium.
Sophomore Hunter Hanks scored the winning run for the Bisons after freshman Tyler Brown put the ball into play, forcing Belmont catcher Alec Diamond to hurry his throw. The ball sailed past the first baseman giving Lipscomb the victory. The hit by Brown was his first walk-off of the season.
“I was honestly caught in the moment,” Brown said. “It was my first walk-off, and I had a great time. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.”
Brown was the designated hitter for the Bisons, but that didn’t cause him to feel any more pressure than normal during hit at-bat.
“It is my role on the team this year,” Brown said. “I had to stay calm and do my job.”
Belmont jumped on the board first with two runs in the top of the first inning, but Lipscomb answered with three runs. The Bisons scored two runs in the bottom of the third with a big hit from senior Jonathan Allison. Lipscomb coach Jeff Forehand called a double steal that brought freshman Michael Gigliotti home from third.
Lipscomb scored two more runs after sacrifice flies from Allison and Gigliotti. In the bottom of the seventh, the Bisons scored two runs on a sacrifice bunt from redshirt freshman Allan Hooker and an RBI single from freshman Jeffrey Crisan.
Redshirt junior Jaesung Hwang started the game for the Bisons, but after Hwang left the game, the Bisons bullpen blew a seven run lead in the top of the eighth.
“I think we had a rough night,” Forehand said. “I am more upset with the walks earlier in the inning.”
Forehand said he hopes the bullpen can get straightened out as it approaches its next matchup.
Belmont finished the game with five errors.
“I think that [errors] was the deciding factor,” Forehand said. “Anytime you make mistakes it usually leads to some runs.”
The Bisons played error-free ball the entire game, and Forehand hopes that they can have good fielding for the rest of the season.
Lipscomb will take on Middle Tennessee State University Wednesday on the road before hosting a three-game series on Friday against Georgetown.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics