NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Seventh inning heroics by Belmont Softball fell just shy of toppling a lead by visiting Middle Tennessee State on Wednesday night. The Bruins (14-26) rallied but failed to catch up with the Blue Raiders (22-19) and fell, 11-6.
Despite outhitting their opponent, 11-9, BU was unable to overcome a five-run inning posted by MTSU in the top of the sixth. The Bruins knotted the score twice before the huge Blue Raider offensive output and dug in their heels to put across two runs in the bottom of the seventh but the effort fell just shy.
MTSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead, notching runs in the top of the first and second inning. However, the Bruins bounced back in the bottom of the second. Junior Amy Zeronian (Pasadena, Calif.) reached first on a fielding error by the second baseman, the first of three committed by the infielder. Classmate Shersty Stanton (Pinckneyville, Ill.) followed with a home run, her first of the season, over the left fence to knot the score at 2-2.
The Blue Raiders fired back, tallying four runs over the next two innings to pull ahead, 6-2. Belmont was able to silence the MTSU bats in their half of the fifth before the Bruins surged again in the bottom of the same inning. Junior Kayla Wells (Bonney Lake, Wash.) singled before freshman Baylee Cook (Lewisburg, Tenn.) knocked a double up the middle to the fence that sent the upperclassman over the plate. A failed pickoff effort on a Lexi Rouse at-bat put Bruins on the corners before a sacrifice fly by rookie Jordan Spicer (Hendersonville, Tenn.) put another run across, closing the gap to two runs, 6-4.
Middle Tennessee exploded for five runs in the top of the sixth, despite a Bruin pitching change. After a silent half of the same inning, BU clamped down in the top of the seventh to keep MT off the board again. The Bruins rallied in the bottom of the seventh, adding a pair of runs but stranded a player when the inning ended with a groundout, securing the 11-6 win for the Blue Raiders.
Cook went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and a pair of runs while Stanton smashed her first home run of the season and picked up two RBI.
Inside the circle, freshman Ashley Johnson (Kingwood, Texas), redshirt sophomore Lexi Rouse (Macon, Ga.) and senior Shelby Willard (Chattanooga, Tenn.) saw action. The trio tallied six strikeouts.
Belmont returns to action this weekend with a three-game series at Eastern Kentucky, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday set to kickoff at 11 a.m. CT. All three games will have live stats available. Fans can also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontSoftball) for in-game updates.
