OXFORD, Miss. -- A late rally by Belmont Softball (3-12) was not enough to help the team take down host-Ole Miss (16-3) on Friday night. The Rebels held on to beat the Bruins, 9-5, in the nightcap on the first day of the Red & Blue Classic.
Belmont battled back from a seven run deficit to push host-Ole Miss back on its heels down the stretch. The Bruins halted the Rebels' no hitter with a trio of runs in the top of the sixth inning. Freshman Sami Long singled up the middle and moved to second on a wild pitch. Junior Kayla Wells was walked and freshman Baylee Cook followed with a sac bunt to put the pair in scoring position. Freshman Jordan Spicer's hit turned into a fielder's choice that helped the two cross the plate. Finally, a double by junior Chelsey Deloney added one more run to the BU total, trimming the Ole Miss lead to four runs, 7-3.
The Rebels answered back with two runs in the bottom of the sixth but the Bruins refused to quit. In the top of the seventh, BU rallied again. Senior Jordan Daly doubled to center and Wells followed with a hard hit single to the pitcher. Cook smacked a double down the left line to score two more runs for Belmont but the rally was halted with a caught fly ball.
Senior Carolyn Snodgress and freshman Ashley Johnson split time inside the circle in this 11th matchup between the programs. Each rang up two strikeouts.
Belmont returns to action for the second day of the Red & Blue Classic on Saturday. BU takes on Penn State at 11 a.m. In the nightcap, the Bruins have a rematch with UMass beginning at 1:30 p.m. Live stats will be available for both contests.
