NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - It was a bittersweet day for three Belmont seniors as they marked their final conference home stand with Friday's doubleheader against Kennesaw State. Kelley Cash (Hudson, Ohio), Julie Harmon (Brentwood, Tenn.), and Ashley Smith (Helena, Ala.), were honored in a pregame ceremony, celebrating their accomplishments with their parents and teammates. Unfortunately for Belmont, the senior day ceremony was the highlight of the afternoon, as the Bruins fell in both games to Kennesaw State, dropping to 10-37 on the season and 3-15 in conference play.
The afternoon got off to a rocky start when Belmont surrendered three runs in the first inning, including a two-run homerun, to fall behind 0-3. The Bruins defense held a power-hitting Kennesaw State team to that score until the top of the fifth inning, when KSU scored three more runs and had another two-run homer. The sixth inning was more of the same, with three more runs coming across on a three-run home run from A-Sun homerun leader Sharon Swanson. Kennesaw State had 12 hits while Belmont managed only one hit. The hit came from junior Stayci Cook (Tecumseh, Mich.) in the bottom of the sixth inning and spoiled A-Sun Preseason Pitcher of the Year Jessica Cross' perfect game and no-hitter. The game ended 0-9 after six innings, with seven of the Owls' nine runs coming from homeruns with runners in scoring position.
The second game continued to be a struggle for the Bruins, although Belmont came out and competed much better in game two. The Bruins held Kennesaw State scoreless through two innings before the Owls scored two runs in the top of the third. Belmont recorded three hits in game two with one each from juniors Cassie Bollin (Madison, Tenn.) and Hannah Irwin (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.), as well as one from freshman Ashley Hammer (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.). Kennesaw State tacked on another run in the top of the fourth and then added three in the top of the fifth to make the score 0-6. The Owls hit one homer in game two, bringing their total to four homeruns in the afternoon, a new high for Rose Park. KSU also tallied 30 hits in two games, the most by an opponent for the Bruins this season.
A short-handed pitching staff struggled to keep the Owls in check, although both sophomore Becca Gift (Durham, N.C.) and freshman Mia Vierra (Palmdale, Calif.) pitched their way out of trouble multiple times throughout both games to keep more runs from scoring. The Bruins were without pitching ace Devon Schmidt (Greenbrier, Tenn.) for the second straight day, as she missed the games due to illness. Schmidt leads the team with a 3.22 ERA in 38 appearances this season. Gift and Vierra handled all pitching duties for Belmont this weekend, marking the most consecutive innings pitched for both players. In addition to a strong hitting performance by Kennesaw State, four errors contributed to the Bruins' struggles in game two.
Belmont will be back in action on Thursday, April 28th, in a rescheduled meeting against Tennessee Tech at Rose Park. The first game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. The Bruins will wrap up the conference season at Lipscomb on Saturday, April 30th, when they face rival Lipscomb. The first game next Saturday is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
