OXFORD, Miss. – Narrow misses ruled the day for Belmont Softball (3-14) in a pair of outings at the Red & Blue Classic on Saturday. The Bruins were held off, 6-1, by Penn State (8-9), before being shutout 6-0 by UMass (4-7) in the nightcap despite strong offensive starts and stops.
Against Penn State
Penn State wasted little time getting on the scoreboard using a three-run homer to put up its first runs of the day in the bottom of the first. The Nittany Lions added one more in the bottom of the second and would hold the 4-0 advantage for another inning.
Junior Chelsey Deloney (Gardendale, Ala.) smashed her first home run of the tournament over the left center wall to put the Bruins on the board and end the Nittany Lions' hope of a shutout in the first-ever meeting between the programs in the top of the fourth.
Penn State hustled to put the game out of reach, tacking on a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Belmont made one final push in the top of the seventh. Deloney was walked and redshirt sophomore Lexi Rouse (Macon, Ga.) followed with a double to right center to put the pair in scoring position. However, PSU squeezed the Bruins at the plate on consecutive plays to keep them from scoring and secure the 6-1 win.
Deloney went 1-for-2 with a run in the effort. Inside the circle, Shelby Willard (Chattanooga, Tenn.) went the distance, collecting a pair of strikeouts.
Against UMass
Belmont recorded a hit in the top of the first courtesy of rookie Baylee Cook (Lewisburg, Tenn.) but the Bruins were able to get her over the plate. The Minutewomen struck first in the bottom of the same inning and added three more runs in the bottom of the second to stand a 4-0 heading into the midpoint of the contest. After quiet bats for both teams over the next two innings, BU sprang to life in the top of the fifth.
Freshman Hayley Baker (Rockwall, Texas) got things started with a single to right and classmate Sami Long (Springfield, Ill.) followed with a double down the left line to put them both in scoring position. Sophomore Jess Andree (Darien, Ill.) reached on a fielding error by the first baseman, loading the bases. Unfortunately, the Bruins could not get a run over the plate despite the late effort.
UMass responded by adding two more runs to their tally in the bottom of the same inning behind back-to-back doubles and a wild pitch. Despite sputters and starts, the Bruins were unable to topple the Minutewomen and fell 6-0 to close the second day of the tournament.
Rouse and freshman Ashley Johnson (Kingwood, Texas) split time in the circle in the dual, combining for three strikeouts. Cook, Long and Baker each went 1-for-3 at the plate.
Belmont returns to action on Sunday for the final day of the Red & Blue Classic. The Bruins face off against host-Ole Miss beginning at 12:30 p.m. Video and live stats will be available.
