By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A fast start with the bats by visiting Bellarmine proved too much for the Tennessee Tech baseball team to overcome in the 2024 season opener at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex, as the Knights downed the Golden Eagles 11-3 Friday afternoon.
Bellarmine (1-0) plated five runs over the opening three frames and scored in seven of nine innings on the day, riding the wave of 13 hits to defeat Tech (0-1) in the first contest of the three-game series. The Knights also received three no-hit frames from starter Cooper Hellman, who provided enough distance for his offense to provide the necessary lead.
Tech's patience at the plate seemed to pay dividends despite being held hitless over the first three frames, as the Golden Eagles drew five walks and drove up Hellman's pitch count enough to chase him from the game. The Cookeville crew saw an opening and pounced, doing damage in the fourth inning.
After the Knights plated a pair to take a 7-0 advantage, Tech answered right back with two runs of its own. With two outs, designated hitter Preston Ford spit a flare to left-center field to break up the visitors' no-hit bid, sparking the purple and gold.
Center fielder Nicho Jordan followed by drawing one of his four walks on the day out of the lead-off spot, providing a pair of runners for left fielder Austin Turner. The fifth-year senior delivered, smacking a single up the middle for an RBI.
Right fielder Theo Bryant IV worked a full count before continuing the two-out surge for Tech, ripping an RBI double down the left-field line. Both sides traded a single run in the sixth, with Bryant again earning the RBI thanks to a bases-loaded walk.
The Golden Eagles drew a whopping 10 walks on the day, but were held to just four hits. Bellarmine used the long ball to do its damage, tallying four home runs that accounted for seven of the team's runs.
Ford led the Tech bats with a pair of knocks and two runs scored in four at-bats. ETSU transfer Landon Smiddy took the loss for the Golden Eagles on the mound, surrendering six earned runs in 3.0 innings.
Rookie Drew Mattox made his collegiate debut on the hill, tossing 1.2 innings with one run allowed and a pair of strikeouts. Redshirt freshman Josh Beasley produced a scoreless ninth inning for Tech, picking up a strikeout.
Game two of the weekend series is set for a 2:00 p.m. CT first pitch in Cookeville Saturday afternoon.
Photo by Jim Dillon
