Box Score

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Behind a complete game effort from Mark Belcastro, the Benedictine University baseball team rebounded from a tough defeat yesterday with a 3-0 shutout of Hope College on Thursday morning.

Belcatro fanned seven in the game and scattered just four hits, punctuating the victory with a strikeout to end the game. Belcastro is now 3-0 on the season in three startes with a 1.21 ERA. Belcastro retired 10 in a row at one point from the third inning through the sixth and never allowed more than one runner in an inning. Only one time did Hope have a runner at third base and jsut three times in the effort was a runner at second.

Benedictine provided all the offense Belcastro needed in the first inning. Ryan Mullin coaxed a two-out walk, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored the game's first run on a single off the bat of John Cervantes.

The Eagles added insurance tallies in the sixth and ninth. The sixth inning run came without a hit as Steve Cocat was hit by a pitch from reliever Tom Tresh to open the frame. Cocat stole second and moved to third on a grounder before scoring against a drawn in infield on a grounder from Brandon Clark.

The ninth inning run was also a result of speed and a hit by pitch. Chris Wanderling was hit by a pitch and followed by stealing second. With one out, Nick Karakosta poked a single to knock home the final run.

Dan Zust and John Cervantes each recorded a pair of hits in the contest. Benedictine trapped nine on the basepaths.

BenU (5-4) is 3-3 on the spring trip and will continue play in Florida with another game against a nationally ranked team tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. when they meet #15 UW-Whitewater.