Softball Closes Samford Tournament With Walk-Off Win

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Belmont University Softball team wrapped up play at the Samford Tournament on Saturday with a split, falling 2-6 to Lindenwood before closing the weekend with a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory over North Alabama.  

VS Lindenwood Lions (2-6) 

The opening game of the day was scoreless through three innings before Lindenwood broke through with a run in the top of the fourth. Belmont answered quickly in the bottom half as Rylee Spindler lined a two-run single to center field, scoring Tallulah Eichholz and Addison Swink to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead. 

Lindenwood regained momentum in the fifth with a three-run home run and added two more runs in the sixth to pull away. Belmont was unable to close the gap down the stretch, falling 2-6. 

In the circle, Hannah Leierer led the Bruins with 4.2 innings pitched and five strikeouts. Ellie Giles added 1.1 innings with one strikeout, while Eichholz worked a scoreless inning and recorded a strikeout of her own. 

VS North Alabama Lions (4-3) 

The Bruins sought redemption in their rematch against North Alabama. The game remained scoreless until the third inning, when Maya Johnson ignited momentum by striking out the side in the top half. In the bottom of the frame, Brenna Blume launched a solo home run to left-center to put Belmont on the board. 

North Alabama responded in the fourth with two home runs, totaling three RBIs, to take a 3-1 lead. Belmont answered immediately as Madison Dolecki tripled to right field and later scored on an RBI double from Lauren Luciani to cut the deficit to one. 

Johnson continued to dominate in the circle, piling up strikeouts throughout the remainder of the game to finish with 17 on the day. 

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Rylee Spindler singled to center and was pinch run for by Swink, who advanced into scoring position with a stolen base. With two outs, Eichholz delivered a clutch walk-off single to right-center, driving in Lizzie Ozim and Lydia VanderWoude to seal the 4-3 victory for the Bruins. 

Up Next 

Belmont heads to the Bulldog Invitational hosted by Missouri State, opening play against Delaware State on Friday, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. CT in Starkville, Miss. 

Follow Belmont Softball on social media – @BelmontSoftball on Twitter, @belmontsoftball on Instagram, and Belmont Bruins Softball on Facebook – for complete coverage of the Bruins.