NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Belmont Softball dropped a pair of contests to league leader SIUE Saturday as the Cougars edged the Bruins, 3-2, in the first contest of the doubleheader and rallied for a 3-1 victory in the second game.
Game 1: SIUE 3, Belmont 2
The Cougars started the scoring off in the top of the second inning as SIUE recorded a pair of runs off four hits in order to take the early advantage, 2-0.
Belmont cut SIUE's lead in half in the home half of the second when sophomore Carolyn Snodgress (Torrance, Calif.) drove in Heather Turner (Rosenburg, Tex.) on an RBI single to right field.
The score stayed the same through the following three innings until the Cougars stretched their lead in the sixth inning off an RBI fly from catcher Rachel Coonrod.
The Bruins once again responded in the bottom of the sixth inng when junior Kirbie Ferrell (Pasadena, Tex.) drove in Kat Hollingsworth (Carrollton, Tex.) as Belmont inched to within a run, 3-2.
After a Mia Vierra (Palmdale, Calif.) walk, the potential game winning run was up to bat but Snodgress couldn't deliver once again as the sophomore hit into a game-ending unassisted double play as SIUE held on for the slim, 3-2, victory.
Belmont recorded four hits on the contest from four different players. Hollingsworth recorded her second triple of the season.
Game 2: SIUE 3, Belmont 1
Belmont jumped out to the early advantage in the second game of the doubleheader in the bottom of the first inning when BU's Jordan Daly (Humble, Tex.) hit an RBI triple into right field.
The triple was the sophomore infielder's third of the season.
The two team's failed to dent the scoreboard through the next three innings of play.
That changed in the fifth inning when SIUE used RBI singles from Haley Chambers and Rachel Coonrod in order to score three runs off four hits as teh Cougars took a 3-1 advantage over the Bruins.
Belmont couldn't find anymore offense the rest of the way as SIUE (24-19, 16-3 OVC) took both games of the afternoon doubleheader with the 3-1 victory.
Belmont (12-29, 6-14 OVC) will return to action next Saturday, April 26, as the Bruins travel to Jacksonville State for a three-game series.
BU will play a doubleheader with the Gamecocks on Saturday with the first pitch slated for 1 p.m. CT. The two teams will wrap the series up with a single contest on Sunday starting at 1 p.m. CT.
