NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Belmont softball team (1-1) earned a split in action for the first day of the BU Spring Kickoff Tournament. The Bruins knocked off Jackson State (1-1), 7-4, before being edged by Central Arkansas (1-0), 3-1, in the final game of the day.
Game one saw the teams locked in a defensive battle early with Jackson State until the Bruins broke it open in the top of the third inning. Junior Mia Vierra (Palmdale, Calif.) smashed her first double of the season to centerfield and sophomore Kat Hollingsworth (Carrollton, Texas) followed with one of her own down the left field line. Sophomore Kirbie Ferrell (Pasadena, Texas) used a sacrifice fly to send Hollingsworth over the plate to tally Belmont's second run of the contest.
BU would let loose again in the top of the sixth, putting five runs on the board with four RBI shared between Hollingsworth and Vierra. Jackson State turned on the afterburners in the bottom of the same inning, notching three runs to cut into the Bruin lead. However, freshman Carolyn Snodgress (Torrance, Calif.) stepped up big in her collegiate relief debut to close the inning with a pair of strikeouts to help Belmont hold on for the 7-3 victory.
Hollingsworth, freshman Jordan Daly (Humble, Texas), senior Becca Gift (Durham, N.C.), and Vierra each finished the game versus Jackson State with two hits. Vierra led BU with two runs followed by Hollingsworth, junior Kayla Brown (Beech Grove, Ind.), Turner, and sophomore Amanda Criscione (Upland, Calif.) recorded one run apiece.
Central Arkansas got on the board first in game two, when Ashley Boswell knocked her first homerun of the season over the centerfield fence in the top of the second inning. The Bears leaned on strong pitching to keep the Bruins off the board for the next two innings. In the top of the fourth, UCA tallied two more runs to go up, 3-0. Freshman Taylor Moon (Vestavia, Ala.) turned in an impressive show for her collegiate debut inside the circle to keep UCA from adding to the scoreboard as the Bruins worked to pick up their first run of the game.
Finally in the bottom of the fifth, the Bruins were able to dash the hopes of UCA earning a shutout with its first run crossing the plate. Lawson got things started for BU reaching on a fielder's choice before Hollingsworth singled to right center. Ferrell followed with a single to left, loading the bases before freshman Jordan Daly (Humble, Texas) walked in Belmont's lone run of the game. Unfortunately, the Bruins were unable to heat their bats up in the final inning and a half and fell 3-1.
Hollingsworth finished the day with two doubles to lead the team's offensive efforts. Vierra and Criscione each tallied two runs.
Inside the circle, Vierra notched 5.1 innings while Moon finished with four strikeouts. Snodgress and Albright finished with three and two K's, respectively.
The Bruins returns to action on Saturday for day two of the Belmont Spring Kickoff at Rose Park. Belmont takes on Valparaiso at 3:45 pm and Western Illinois at 6 pm to finish the second day of competition. Live stats will be available and the matchups can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network.
