Box Score JACKSON, Tenn. – Belmont scored twice in the 11th inning Wednesday and held off SIUE 9-7 in the opening round of the OVC Baseball Championship.
Rain in the late afternoon forced a delay to the opening day of the tournament. The SIUE/Belmont game, which was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., did not start until 8:36 and then lasted 4:13.
"You find a way to put it behind you and realize you have a job to do tomorrow," SIUE Head Coach Tony Stoecklin said. "Worrying about what happened tonight is not going to help us."
SIUE fell to 20-29 and will take on Jacksonville State Thursday at 11 a.m. Belmont improves to 28-27 and advances to meet No. 1 Southeast Missouri Thursday evening.
"When we get on the bus tomorrow it is a fresh outlook," Stoecklin said. "It's a chance to go out with a clear head and play better."
Zach Malach (1-2) took the loss in relief. He allowed two unearned runs in two innings of work. He struck out four and walked three.
The Cougars combined for 17 hits. Six SIUE players had two hits apiece. Keaton Wright was 2 for 5 with two RBIs. Denton Reed was 2 for 5 with a solo home run and two runs scored.
Thursday's game can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and is available on 88.7 FM WSIE.
