NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont (10-35, 3-13) couldn't quite get past Mercer in a doubleheader Thursday at Rose Park. The Bruins lost 0-1 in game one, surrendering the lone run in the top of the seventh inning. Belmont fell in game two, 3-5, after bouncing back from a 0-2 hole after the first inning. The Bruins will finish out the conference portion of their home schedule with a doubleheader against Kennesaw State tomorrow afternoon at Rose Park. Senior Day ceremonies will be held tomorrow, and those are set to begin at 12:30 p.m. with the first game of the doubleheader to follow at 1 p.m.
Belmont got a strong pitching performance from sophomore Becca Gift (Durham, N.C.), who pitched a complete game, surrendering only four hits and an unearned run, while recording six strikeouts and allowing only one base on balls. Generating runs continued to be a struggle for the Bruins who matched Mercer's four hits, but scored no runs and left seven runners on base. Solid defense helped Belmont keep Mercer in check until the top of the seventh inning when the Bears scored the winning run.
Mercer started off game two hot, getting two runs in the top of the second inning and adding two more in the top of the third to take a 0-4 lead into the fourth inning. Belmont responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Bruins scored one run in unusual fashion to highlight the inning. Freshman Ashley Hammer (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) singled up the middle to lead off the inning, advancing to second on a passed ball. Then junior Ashley Byers (Westerville, Ohio) earned a walk and freshman Kayla Brown (Beech Grove, Ind.) came on to run for Byers and eventually stole second. Hammer scored on a sacrifice fly from Gift to give the Belmont the first run of the night. Senior Kelley Cash (Hudson, Ohio) recorded an infield single that moved Brown to third. Then chaos ensued, as Cash stole second and Mercer catcher Sarah Santana attempted to throw Cash out at second and hit freshman Mia Vierra (Palmdale, Calif.), who was the batter, in the back of the helmet. The ball ricocheted off Vierra's helmet over the back stop and out of play, which advanced Brown home, making the score 2-4, and moved Cash to third. Junior Hannah Irwin (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) followed with a long double to left-center that scored Cash and cut the lead to one.
The lead would remain one until the top of the fifth inning, when Mercer would add an insurance run on a throwing error from Irwin to third which allowed the runner to score. The Bruins were unable to generate any more runs of their own and ultimately fell, 3-5. Belmont managed only five hits and two RBIs in the game, while surrendering seven hits. The Bruins got another solid pitching effort from Gift who made back-to-back starts for the first time this season. Belmont also got a good performance from Vierra, who pitched four innings in relief and allowed only two hits and one run, as the rest of the Bruin pitching staff stepped up in the absence of pitching ace Devon Schmidt (Greenbrier, Tenn.) who missed today's games with the flu.
