JACKSON, Miss. -- Belmont recovered from a 10-3 setback to Northwestern State Saturday morning as the Bruins used a great pitching performance from Taylor Moon (Vestavia, Ala.) to earn their first road victory of the season and a split on the day with a 7-3 victory over Jackson State on the second day of the JSU Softball Tournament.
GAME 1: Northwestern State 10, Belmont 3
NSU (7-9) used a sacrafice fly and a two-run home in order to jump out to a quick 3-0 avdantage through the first one and a half innings of play before the Bruins dented the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the second inning off an RBI single to centerfield by freshman Taylor Hodge (Maryville, Tenn.).
The Lady Demons stretched their lead in the following two innings of play as NSU used an RBI double to left field in the third inning followed by a four-run blast in the fourth to push their lead to a commanding 8-1 advantage.
BU's Kat Hollingsworth (Carrolton, Tex.) recorded her first triple of the season in the bottom of the fifth inning to notch a pair of Bruin runs but NSU added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh inning as the Bruins fell, 10-3.
BU's Kayla Wells (Bonney Lake, Wash.) recorded a pair of hits on three at-bats for the Bruins while Hollingsworth added a pair of RBIs.
Game 2: Belmont 7, Jackson State 3
With Belmont trailing host Jackson State 1-0 after three complete innings of play, the Bruins' offense responded in a big way as BU tallied six runs in the fourth inning off five hits.
With the bases loaded, Hodge walked in a run followed by an RBI single from sophomore Kate Black (Knoxville, Tenn.). The hit and RBI was Black's first as a Bruin.
With the bases loaded for a second time, BU's Ally Bessette (Bryan, Tex.) walked in another run. That was followed by three straight Bruin hits as rookie shortstop Jess Andree (Darien, Ill.) tallied her first career RBI with a double to midfield followed by a single from Kat Hollingsworth and an RBI single to left center field from Jessica Wilson (Alvin, Tex.).
JSU added a pair of runs in the home half of the fourth inning but the Bruins added an insurance run in the fifth off an RBI fly from Bessette in order to hold on for the 7-3 victory.
BU's starting pitcher Taylor Moon (2-2) was credited with her second victory of the season as the right-handed junior threw a complete game and tied a career-best with eight strikeouts.
Andree and Wilson both finished 2-for-4 at the plate while Bessette recorded a pair of RBIs.
Belmont (3-5) returns to the pitch tomorrow as the Bruins look to close out the JSU Softball Tournament on a high note with a 12:30 p.m. CT contest with Jackson State (4-11).
Live stats will not be available for the contest but fans are encouraged to follow along with the team's twitter account (@BelmontSoftball) for in-game updates.
