NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Interstat) — Powered by a dominant pitching performance from starter Ridge Harvey and a relentless offensive attack, the Belmont Bruins defeated the Evansville Purple Aces 11-7 in a Missouri Valley Conference baseball game Saturday at Ken Dugan Field at Stephen Lee Marsh Stadium.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded in the evening, saw the Bruins overcome an early deficit to even the weekend series after Evansville’s decisive win a day earlier. The victory improved Belmont’s record to 14-25 overall, while Evansville fell to 14-22.

The most important part of the game was the middle-inning surge by the Belmont lineup, which erased a four-run deficit and seized control against the Evansville bullpen. Trailing 7-4 after four and a half innings, the Bruins’ offense erupted for five runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a lead they would not relinquish.

The decisive sixth inning featured a two-run single by Brady Holbrook that tied the game, followed by productive outs and an RBI double from Nate Webb that capped the rally and gave Belmont a 9-7 advantage. This outburst came directly after Harvey had completed seven strong innings, handing the ball to the bullpen with a lead.

Harvey was the top star for Belmont, delivering a masterful outing to stifle the Purple Aces. The right-hander pitched seven innings, allowing just five hits and no earned runs while striking out a career-high 13 batters. He walked none. His performance provided crucial stability after Evansville had scored seven runs on Friday.

Evansville built its early lead by capitalizing on Belmont mistakes, scoring two unearned runs in the second inning without a hit. The Purple Aces added two more in the third on an RBI single from Harrison Taubert and a run-scoring groundout, then extended the lead to 7-1 in the fourth on a two-run single by Reid Haire.

Belmont began its comeback in the bottom of the fourth. After a walk and a single, Michael Lareau launched a three-run homer to left field, cutting the deficit to 7-4. The Bruins then chased Evansville starter Tanner Graham in the fifth when Mike Sprockett led off with a solo home run.

Following Harvey’s departure, the Evansville offense mounted a final threat in the ninth against reliever Jonathon Van Ness. After two were out, an error and a single set the stage for Reid Haire, who launched a three-run home run to left-center field, pulling the Purple Aces within four. Van Ness then struck out Charlie Longmeier looking to end the game.

Holbrook led the Bruins’ 14-hit attack, going 3 for 4 with a home run, a double and four RBIs. Lareau drove in three with his homer, while Jake Maddox added three hits, including two doubles, and an RBI. Sprockett also homered and drove in two.

For Evansville, Haire went 2 for 5 with the three-run homer, giving him four RBIs on the day. Ximi Baftiri had two hits and an RBI. Evansville used five pitchers, with Graham, Owen Byberg and Conner Vander-Luitgaren combining to allow 10 earned runs over eight innings.

The result defied the pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 5-3 Evansville victory and whose ELO system gave the Purple Aces a 53.3% probability to win.

The teams will conclude their three-game series on Sunday afternoon.