NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Belmont (4-17) fell 1-7 to St. Bonaventure in the opening game of the Tiger Classic hosted by Tennessee State University. The Bruins' lone run came on a home run from senior Ashley Byers.
Belmont struggled offensively, with the lineup being retired in order through the first four innings of play. The damage was done for Belmont in the bottom of the second inning when the Bruins gave up four runs on a grand slam for St. Bonaventure. The home run came with two outs in the inning. The Bonnies scored two runs in the opening inning and then added a final run in the bottom of the fifth inning to reach the final 1-7 margin.
Byers' home run came in the top of the fifth inning and was her third of the season. Byers is already the school's all-time leader in home runs and holds the single season record with 10 in 2009. For her career, she now has 23 home runs. Belmont had only two other baserunners on the day. Sophomore MJ Lawson reached on a walk by was forced out at second when senior Hannah Irwin hit the ball up the middle and it was fielded by the shortstop for the force out at second base.
Belmont continues play in the Tiger Classic tomorrow morning when the Bruins take on Ohio State at 10:15 a.m. The meeting will be the first ever between the two programs, but will be the second for the Bruins against a team from the Big Ten conference. Belmont fell to Purdue earlier this season. The Bruins will face Mississippi Valley State at 3:45 p.m. for their second game on Saturday. Belmont will close out play in the tournament on Sunday morning with a second meeting with Mississippi Valley State at 11:15 a.m.
Live stats will be available for the Belmont-Ohio State game. Links to live stats, full recaps, score updates, and all schedule information are available at www.belmontbruins.com. Fans can also follow the team on GameChanger by searching Belmont Bruin Softball, or on Twitter by searching @BelmontSoftball.
