March 28, 2003

Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont used a big second inning and a commanding performance on the mound from left-hander Cody Blackard to down Jacksonville Univeristy, 8-2, in an Atlantic Sun Conference series opener Friday afternoon at Greer Stadium. Senior leftfielder Chad Hauseman (Pottstown, Pa.) led the Dolphins, going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, while junior third baseman Larry Best-Berfet (Newark, N.J.) went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Blackard (3-2) pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on nine hits and striking out four in 9.0 innings. JU senior righty Darren Truty (Marengo, Ill.) took the loss, allowing six runs on six hits, while walking four, striking out two, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch.

Belmont (12-9, 8-5 A-Sun) scored four runs in the third as Josh Radke was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on Stephen Sundstrom's RBI single. Jason Warpool followed with a single, and Dan Soukup blasted a three-run homer to left, his fifth of the season, to give the Bruins 5-1 lead. Warpool, Soukup, Joel Novak and Jay Pettus each had two hits to lead the Bruins.

JU (11-16, 5-8) got on the board first as Best-Berfet led off with a single, stole his team-leading ninth base of the season and scored on Hauseman's single to right in the first inning. Belmont answered with an unearned run in the second as Soukup reached on an error and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

The Dolphins tacked on a run in the sixth as Hauseman smashed a double down the left-field line and scored on freshman first baseman Gordie Gronkowski's (Buffalo, N.Y.) single to left. The Bruins, however, scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth to put the game away.

JU and Belmont will complete their three-game A-Sun series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. CST at Greer Stadium.