CONWAY, Ark. -- The Belmont Softball team (0-11) saw its first extra innings contest of the season and was narrowly denied its first win of the season on Friday. The Bruins were edged by host-Central Arkansas (6-4), 3-2, in eight innings.
After a scoreless stalemate in the first inning, Belmont was first to get on the scoreboard in the top of the second. Freshman Hayley Baker (Rockwall, Texas) reached on a fielding error by the Bears and sophomore Sheyanne Meadows (Zanesville, Ohio) followed with a double to pick up her first RBI of the season.
BU held on to its one run lead until the bottom of the fourth when Central Arkansas rang up two runs. The Bruins fired back in the top of the fifth. Junior Kayla Wells (Bonney Lake, Wash.) led off with a single up the middle and freshman Jordan Spicer (Hendersonville, Tenn.) followed with a single to right to knot the game, 2-2.
The contest remained tied through two more innings and was forced into an eighth and deciding one. The Bruins were unable to get a runner over the plate with the international tiebreaker. In the Bears half of the inning, they used a single down the left line to put the game winner over the plate and take the game, 3-2.
Wells' hot streak at the plate continued in the second game as she went 2-for-4 with one run in the matchup. Spicer went 2-for-3 at the plate.
Freshman Ashley Johnson (Kingwood, Texas) and senior Carolyn Snodgress (Torrance, Calif.) split time inside the circle, combining for a pair of strikeouts.
Belmont returns to action on Saturday for day two of the Central Arkansas Invitational. The Bruins take on Louisiana Monroe at 1:30 p.m. Live stats will be available.
