NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Belmont (4-18) dropped the first game of the day on Saturday against Ohio State University. The Bruins rallied in the bottom of the fifth inning, but ultimately fell short, 3-15 in six innings. Belmont will continue play in the Tiger Classic hosted by Tennessee State University with an afternoon game against Mississippi Valley State. That game is currently scheduled to start at 3:45 p.m.
The Bruins gave up two runs in the opening frame, falling behind early. Belmont put the lead-off runner on first, but were unable to bring her around to score, which would become a theme for the day for Belmont. Ohio State pulled away from the Bruins after a three run home run in the top of the third inning, taking a 0-5 lead. The Buckeyes added three runs in the top of the fifth inning, including a second three run home run. Belmont scored three runs in the bottom of the inning on senior Amanda Buntin's pinch hit double with two outs. Buntin advanced to third on a throwing error during the play and then came around to score the third run of the inning following the error, cutting the lead to 3-8. Ohio State pulled away again in the top of the sixth inning, scoring seven runs to reach the final 3-15 margin. The Buckeyes had 12 hits and two errors on the day, while the Bruins recorded five hits and three errors.
Belmont will continue play in the tournament against Mississippi Valley State on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins are 0-1 all-time against MVSU. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2009. Belmont will also play MVSU on Sunday morning for their final game of the Tiger Classic. Updated schedules, game recaps, box scores and season statistics are available at www.belmontbruins.com. Live stats will not be available for the Belmont-MVSU games. Fans can follow the team on GameChanger by searching Belmont Bruins Softball or via Twitter by searching @BelmontSoftball.
