CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Dominant performances at the plate fueled Belmont Softball to a pair of wins on the road at in-state rival Austin Peay on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins (14-23, 7-5 OVC) extended their win streak to five games with a sweep of the Governors (5-24, 1-11 OVC), 11-3 and 9-2. The streak marks the first time since 2009 BU has won five in a row.
Game One
The Bruins wasted little time getting on the scoreboard at the start of the game, capitalizing on a single to right by freshman Hayley Baker (Rockwall, Texas) and a sacrifice bunt by classmate Baylee Cook (Lewisburg, Tenn.). Junior Chelsey Deloney (Gardendale, Ala.) knocked a double to right center to tally Belmont's first run of the day.
Redshirt sophomore Lexi Rouse (Macon, Ga.) unloaded a home run over the right fence to put Belmont back on top, 3-2, in the top of the third inning. Even with a pitching change by Austin Peay, the Bruins kept piling on the runs. With only one out on the board, BU sent a whopping eight runners over the plate to grab a commanding 9-2 lead. The Govs were able to end the half inning with a double play but the damage had already been done by BU's hot bats.
The Bruins added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the fifth to secure the run ruled victory. With two outs, junior Kayla Wells (Bonney Lake, Wash.) was walked before Baker singled to right. A double down the length of the left field line by Cook was enough to send both over the plate to put Belmont on top, 11-2. The Govs were able to answer back in the bottom of the fifth with a single run but it was not enough as BU clenched the game in the fifth inning with a score of 11-3. It marked only the fourth time this season Belmont has notched a run-ruled victory.
Game Two
Belmont again jumped on the board early to start the second game of the day. Cook doubled down the left line and an APSU fielding error with Deloney at the plate allowed her to race around putting a run on the board
The top of the second inning saw Wells smash her first home run of the season to put two over the plate. The effort was just the fuel Belmont needed to explode at the plate once again. By the time their half of the second inning ended, the Bruins had blown its lead up to 6-0.
BU added one more in the top of both the fifth and sixth innings, on the hunt for a shutout but the Govs found a way to battle back. Austin Peay used a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to finally make its way onto the scoreboard but the effort only trimmed the Belmont lead down to six runs, 8-2. The Bruins were able to put a ninth and final run on the board in the top of the seventh. Cook sent a hard single toward first base before Rouse sent a double deep into center field to put the pair in scoring position. Junior Shersty Stanton (Pinckneyville, Ill.) was walked to load the bases before classmate Kate Black (Knoxville, Tenn.) smartly used her turn at the plate to pick up an RBI before being put out. Belmont then used stringent defense to keep APSU off the board in the bottom of the seventh to solidify the 9-2 victory.
For the day, Cook batted .857 with four runs to lead the Bruins.
Inside the circle, Rouse and senior Carolyn Snodgress (Torrance, Calif.) each picked up wins. Rouse finished with six strikeouts on the day.
Belmont returns to action on Sunday with a doubleheader on the road at Murray State. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. The contests can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and live stats will be available. Fans can also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontSoftball) for in-game updates.
