NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - The hot-hitting Jacksonville Dolphins were too much for Belmont on a hot and blustery day at Rose Park. The Bruins lost a competitive first game, 0-4, and struggled offensively and defensively the second game, losing 0-13.
Freshman Mia Vierra (Palmdale, Calif.) had a solid pitching effort for Belmont in game one. In spite of surrendering 11 hits, Vierra allowed only four runs, two of which came in the very first inning. The Bruin offense again struggled to produce, recording only three hits and getting shut out for the ninth time this season. Dolphin pitcher Sarah Sigrest moved through the Belmont batting order, retiring all but one batter faced during her first trip through the line-up. Mary Lawson (Tuscon, Ariz.) was hit by a pitch to give the Bruins their first base runner in the bottom of the third inning.
Jacksonville led off game two with a burst of energy, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning and making it all the way through the batting order. Belmont was unable to respond and the score would remain 0-4 until the top of the sixth inning, when Jacksonville scored nine runs to pull ahead 0-13. The Bruins used three different pitchers in the sixth inning: Sophomore Devon Schmidt (Greenbrier, Tenn.), who started the game and pitched five innings; sophomore Becca Gift (Durham, N.C.), who came on in relief of Schmidt and pitched 0.2 innings, and Vierra, who came on in relief of Gift in the sixth. The inning also included the first grand slam home run at Rose Park, as JU's Olivia Kline cleared the bases with a home run. Perhaps the lone bright spot for the Bruins was the hitting of junior Hannah Irwin (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.), who recorded two hits in three at bats and was the only to record multiple hits on the day.
The next action for Belmont will be a four-game conference road swing through the Sunshine State. The Bruins travel to Florida to face Stetson on Thursday and Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday. Belmont will return home for a busy week beginning April 19th, when they meet in-state opponent UT-Martin for a midweek doubleheader at Rose Park. The Bruins will also host another four game conference home stand when they welcome Mercer and Kennesaw State to Rose Park for the weekend. Senior day ceremonies will be held prior to the first Kennesaw State game at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 22nd. Belmont will recognize seniors Kelley Cash (Hudson, Ohio), Julie Harmon (Brentwood, Tenn.), and Ashley Smith (Helena, Ala.) as part of those ceremonies.
