HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- The Belmont softball team (9-12) picked up a pair of dominating wins on the road Wednesday afternoon at Alabama A&M (7-13). The Bruins breezed by the Lady Bulldogs in a doubleheader, taking the first game, 6-1, before rolling to a 10-4 victory in the nightcap.
Game one saw BU come out of the gates swinging, loading the bases in the top of the first inning behind a single and stolen base by sophomore Kirbie Ferrell (Pasadena, Texas), and back-to-back walks for junior Ashley Hammer (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) and sophomore Kat Hollingsworth (Carrollton, Texas) before a single out was tallied. A fielding error by Alabama A&M that got sophomore Heather Turner (Rosenburg, Texas) on base, opened the door for the Bruins to aggressively push for the trio to cross the plate to take the early 4-0 lead.
The Bruins held AAMU scoreless for the next five innings and even added additional runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Finally, the Lady Bulldogs were able to get a run over the plate in the bottom of the seventh but BU was able to hold on and cruise to the 6-1 win.
BU continued to control the pace and tempo into the second game of the afternoon, jumping out to a huge six run lead in the top of the first off a staggering five hits. Ferrell got things started with a single and sophomore Amanda Criscione (Upland, Calif.) followed with a double to put the pair in scoring position before Hollingsworth smashed a three RBI homerun to add the first three runs of the day. Junior Mia Vierra (Palmdale, Calif.) was walked and Turner collected her first single of the contest before hits by freshmen Jessica Wilson (Alvin, Texas) and Taylor Moon (Vestavia, Ala.) added three more runs to the board.
Belmont picked up one more run in the top of the second inning before the Lady Bulldogs' bats warmed up in their half of the same and they were able to get a pair of runs over the plate, cutting the lead down to 7-2. The teams repeated the scoring feat in the fourth inning. Senior Courtney Elrod (Clarksville, Tenn.) notched her first solo homerun of the season as Alabama A&M gained two more to stay within four runs, 8-4. However, the Bruins would use four more hits over the next two innings to add two more runs and take game two, 10-4.
For the day, Criscione led BU, batting 1.000 after going 3-for-3 in the second game. Turner finished the day, hitting .429 with three hits and two stolen bases. Hollingsworth finished the day with four RBI.
Inside the circle, four Bruins saw action with freshman Carolyn Snodgress (Torrance, Calif.) leading the way, tossing five innings and fanning eight batters. Moon threw 4.1 innings and collected four strikeouts while junior Brittanie Albright (Franklin, Tenn.) logged 3.1 innings of work over two games with one strikeout.
Belmont returns to action this weekend at E.S. Rose Park. The Bruins host SEMO on Saturday and UT Martin on Sunday for a pair of doubleheaders. Games on both days start at Noon. Live stats will be available.
