NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A run rally fell shy of helping Belmont Softball take a midweek contest at home on Wednesday. The Bruins (11-21) fell to regional foe WKU (17-9), 7-2.
The Toppers jumped out to a quick lead, posting three runs in the opening frame.
After a slow offensive start, BU made moves in the bottom of the third frame. Sophomore MyKayla Spurlin (Madisonville, Ky.) reached first on four balls and was pushed to third with a double to left by senior Cheyenne Cavanaugh (Spring, Texas). A Western Kentucky fielding error helped BU plate the first run before a single to left by sophomore Abi Ledbetter (Livingston, Tenn.) scored the run that pulled the Bruins to within one, 3-2.
The Toppers fired back, piling on three more runs in the top of the fourth inning with the help of a single and a pair of doubles. Belmont rallied in the bottom of the sixth, threatening to score. Junior Audrey Lyle (Westlake, Ohio) reached on four balls and had freshman Savannah Halterman pinch run for her. She immediately stole second base. Freshman Kaley Varner (Cumming, Ga.) hit a hard infield single to put two Bruins on. The pair were moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. BU was inches away from getting another run across home plate but she was called out at the plate.
In the final stanza, WKU added one more run with a solo homerun to take a 7-2 lead and was able to hold on through BU's half to win the game by the same score.
For the day, Ledbetter led the Bruins at the plate going 2-for-4.
Work inside the circle was split between seniors Alicia Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) and Autumn McDanel (Moravia, Iowa) and freshman Alex Clesi (Mandeville, La.). The trio combined for six strikeouts.
Belmont returns to action this weekend at Rose Park, hosting UT Martin for a three-game series. All three games can be seen live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available.
