ATLANTA, Ga. – The Belmont University Softball Program (1-1) opened the season in the Buzz Classic hosted by Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga. The Bruins started the day with a 7-1 win over the Hilltoppers before falling to the Yellow Jackets in a tight matchup 0-1.
VS Western Kentucky (7-1)
Belmont came out strong in the first inning.
Nicole Hughes entered the batter's box and recorded her first hit of the season. In her college debut,
Rylee Spindler was walked leaving runners on first and second for the Bruins.
Lauren Luciani later stepped up to the plate and added an RBI single to put Belmont on the board first. A wild pitch would send another Bruin across home.
Emily Cockrill got in on the action with an RBI single of her own to push the lead to three in the bottom of the first. Another error from Western Kentucky resulted in a run for Belmont.
Baie Ensio would cap off the explosive inning for the Bruins with an RBI single up the middle.
The game began to settle in the second as both teams saw a scoreless inning.
E. Cockrill continued to stay hot and added another RBI single to extend the Bruins' lead to 6-0 at the end of the third.
WKU brought in a run to bring the game within five in the top of the fourth. Despite having bases loaded, Belmont was unable to bring in another run leaving the score at 6-1 at the end of the fourth.
The Bruins held the Hilltoppers scoreless in the fifth. E. Cockrill stepped up again driving an RBI double to left center. Belmont headed into the sixth up 7-1.
Both teams went three up, three down leaving the Bruins up six heading into the final inning.
Belmont held WKU off in the seventh to finish the game on top 7-1.
VS Georgia Tech (0-1)
The Bruins' second game of the day was a defensive battle that resulted in just five hits and one run between both teams.
Maya Johnson had an impressive game in the circle with 10 strikeouts only allowing one hit from Georgia Tech.
Belmont saw some offensive movement in the third as
Emma Barnes and Ensio each added a single. Despite getting two runners on base, the Bruins were unable to bring in a run leaving the game scoreless after three.
The game remained knotted at 0-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh. The Yellow Jackets eventually hit a walk-off single to claim a close 0-1 game over the Bruins.
Belmont will return to action in a rematch against Western Kentucky on Saturday at 10 a.m. CT. Live stats will be available on belmontbruins.com.
Follow Belmont softball on social media -
@BelmontSoftball on Twitter,
@belmontsoftball on Instagram and
Belmont Bruins Softball on Facebook - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the
official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
#ItsBruinTime
