The Beloit College baseball team opened the season with an exciting 6-5 win over King's College in walkoff fashion at the RussMatt Invitational in the Auburndale, Florida area Saturday.
The Buccaneers were outhit in the contest 15-11 but got the ones that mattered including a walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth.
Nick Schmidt tagged a leadoff double to left center to get the bats going after holding the Monarchs scoreless in the top of the first. Jalen Davis drew a walk and the two Bucs advanced into scoring position on a one out groundout to third base. Ethan Conley came up with the big hit down the left field line, a single that score Schmidt and the speedy Davis to give Beloit a 2-0 lead after the first frame.
The squads traded three-up, three-down half innings in the second before King's got their offense going in the top of the third. The Monarchs opened the inning with four consecutive hits – a single, double and a pair of RBI singles to knot the game 2-2.
That score held until the bottom of the fifth when Beloit struck again. Mitch Campbell singled up the middle with one out and was relieved on the base paths by Matt Crandall. Garrison Ferone followed Campbell's example with another single up the middle that allowed Crandall to advance all the way to third. Schmidt registered his second hit of the game, this time an RBI single to right center to put the Bucs up 3-2.
Beloit's defense stranded a King's runner at second in the top of the sixth but the Monarchs would not be thwarted in the top of the seventh. A leadoff single followed by a bunt single put runners on the corners. After the Bucs caught the runner from first attempting to swipe second, a Beloit miscue allowed one run to score. The next King's batter singled through the right side, advanced all the way to third and then scored on two wild pitches to give the Monarchs a 4-3 advantage.
The Monarchs added an insurance run in the top of the eighth. A leadoff walk was advanced to second with a bunt and took third on a wild pitch. An RBI single to right center made it 5-3.
The Bucs responded in grand fashion. Brice Call opened the bottom of the frame with a single up the middle. Bronson Balholm followed with a double up the middle that put two in scoring position. Conley came up big again with an RBI single to left field and Drew Freitag registered the quality at bat with a sacrifice fly to right center that tied the game 5-5 after eight innings.
Beloit stranded a King's runner on third in the top of the ninth to head back in for their last bats in regulation.
Ferone opened the inning with a bunt single to the pitcher and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Schmidt. Davis was intentionally walked to put runners on first and second with one out. A flyout had the Bucs down to their final out but they wouldn't need it. Balholm stepped in and stepped up singling to left center that brought Ferone around to score for the 6-5 walkoff win.
Schmidt, Balholm, Conley and Ferone each recorded multiple hits in the game with Conley adding three runs batted in.
Danny Belling got the start going six innings on the mound. David Harrison came in for the ninth registering the win on the mound.
On Deck: The Bucs will face Concordia (MN) Sunday for a twinbill beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern time in Winter Haven, Florida.
