Belmont lost to Southern Illinois, 8-3, in the opening game of their series on May 8 at E.S. Rose Park after a strong middle-inning performance by the Salukis.
The game was closely contested early, with both teams held scoreless through three innings. Belmont took the lead in the fourth when Brady Holbrook hit a leadoff double and later scored on a bunt single by Mike Sprockett. Starting pitcher Shane Duke kept Belmont ahead through four innings, recording six strikeouts and allowing only three hits entering the fifth.
Southern Illinois changed the momentum in the fifth inning with a three-run rally. Jaden Flores tied it with a solo home run before Julio Guerrero’s RBI double gave them the lead. Cecil Lofton added another run to make it 3-1 for Southern Illinois. The Salukis extended their advantage in the sixth after an error allowed another run.
Andrew Evans, starting for Southern Illinois, limited Belmont’s offense after giving up one run in the fourth inning and retired ten of eleven batters he faced over his next stretch. In the eighth inning, Mason Schwalbach singled home another run before Guerrero hit a three-run homer to push Southern Illinois ahead 8-1.
Holbrook responded for Belmont with a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth but it was not enough to close the gap. He finished with two hits and accounted for all three Bruins runs. Sprockett also contributed two hits and an RBI as Belmont collected seven hits overall.
Duke allowed three earned runs over five innings for Belmont while Sam Heyman pitched four innings of relief. For Southern Illinois, Guerrero drove in four runs including his home run and double while Flores added another homer as part of their ten-hit effort.
With this result, Belmont’s record moved to 19-30 overall and 9-10 within Missouri Valley Conference play while Southern Illinois improved to 19-28 overall and 10-9 in conference action.
