Coming off its first win of the season, Belmont baseball found itself swept by the University of Notre Dame over the weekend.
In the first game on Friday, the Bruins made a valiant effort, losing 12-8.
The first inning kicked off powerfully for right-handed pitcher Will Pryor, striking out the first two Notre Dame batters.
That did not seem to phase the Notre Dame offense one bit as the Irish hit a homer to take the 2-0 lead.
But in the second inning, left fielder Blake Barton hit his own two-run home run to tie the game.
The Irish bounced back, scoring three runs for the 5-2 lead.
Belmont second baseman Charlie Davis then doubled to left center in the bottom of the third to bring Pete Daniel home and close the gap 5-3.
Notre Dame then went on a tear in the fourth inning, scoring six runs.
Belmont incorporated two more runs in the bottom of the fourth with designated hitter Wyatt Fooks smashing a two-run homer out of E.S Rose Park to make the score 11-5.
The Bruins scored again at the bottom of the sixth with center fielder Michael Lareau doubling, adding a run to make the score 11-6.
Belmont brought in a lot of energy at the bottom of the eighth, with hoots and hollers from the dugout, roaring for their teammates up to bat.
Catcher Mike Sprockett homered to left field to cut Notre Dame's lead to three.
Notre Dame followed in the top of the ninth to score on extra run.
Belmont had some hope in the bottom of the ninth, with its first two batters getting on base.
But Notre Dame shut down the Bruins lineup, ending any chance of a comeback.
Belmont’s four pitchers produced only nine strikeouts along with walking thirteen base runners.
“I believe in this pitching staff. I think this night and some of the previous nights that we've had so far, if anything, it's them trying too hard,” said Coach Dave Jarvis, “And so we've gotta, we've gotta just calm down, get back into our zone and make sure that we go out and execute the way that we've been practicing and working on all year long.”
The second game was a low-scoring effort between the Bruins and the Irish.
Right-handed pitcher Joe Ruzicka started on the mound and struck out the first batter at the top of the first inning.
Wyatt Fooks flew out a ball to right field, bringing home the Bruins only run of the game.
The game got messy at the top of the fifth with Ruzicka having control issues, walking home the tying run.
Ruzicka switched out with left-handed pitcher Andrew Perry at the top of the seventh.
Perry's first pitch of the game was shattered by a Notre Dame game-leading home run.
That Irish run proved to be the gamechanger with the final score being 2-1.
The third and final game of the series between Belmont and Notre Dame took place Sunday.
A defensive battle brewed with quick innings showing little to no progress for each team offensively.
Pitcher Jake Timbes struck out five Irish through the first three innings.
A Notre Dame error gave the Bruins the 1-0 lead.
But at the top of the seventh, Notre Dame found home plate, tying the score 1-1.
Notre Dame then continued its scoring onslaught, hitting a three-run homer to increase the lead to 4-1.
The Bruins scored to make it 4-2, but Notre Dame bounced back in the ninth inning to make it a 6-2 ballgame.
Belmont’s record dropped to 1-10 on the season as it looks to bounce back against North Alabama on Tuesday at E.S Rose Park at 3 p.m.
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This article was written by Reece Leddy.