JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- After a hard fought game one, Belmont Softball was unable to hang on to take one from league leading Jacksonville State on Saturday. The Bruins (19-34, 11-15 OVC) were edged, 1-0, in game one and fell 6-1 to the Gamecocks (36-14, 25-0 OVC).
Game One
The first three innings of the matchup were earmarked by a pitching duel as freshman Ashley Johnson (Kingwood, Texas) held her own against right-handed Whitney Gillespie, one of the best in the conference. Each only allowed one hit and Johnson notched four strikeouts.
Redshirt sophomore Lexi Rouse (Macon, Ga.) came in for some relief innings and tallied three strikeouts. Even with the switch in the circle, the duel remained until for another inning and a half. Jacksonville State finally broke the stalemate, using a walk, a wild pitch and a single to left to put one run across in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Bruins looked to rally in the top of the seventh. Junior Chelsey Deloney (Gardendale, Ala.) singled up the middle, looking to spark her teammates. A liner deep to right field caught pinch runner junior Kate Black (Knoxville, Tenn.) off guard, who had taken some lead off steps off first base, effectively ending the contest with a double play with a toss to the bag. The Gamecocks were able to hold on to the slim one run advantage for the remainder of the game to hold on for the 1-0 victory.
It marked the first time all season the Gamecocks were held to just one run in a victory.
Game Two
After a quiet first inning for both teams, Belmont sprang into action in the top of the second. Deloney reached first on four balls before sophomore Jess Andree (Darien, Ill.) knocked a double to the left fence to put runners on the corners. Junior Amy Zeronian (Pasadena, Calif.) was also walked, loading the bases and freshman Mac Stewart (Portland, Tenn.) followed with an RBI single to get BU on the board. Unfortunately, JSU fired back in their half of the same inning, notching three runs, including two off a home run.
BU looked to regain the lead in the top of the fourth inning after loading the bases, courtesy of three base on balls. However, the trio was stranded behind a long fly ball that ended the half inning, keeping the score at 3-1. The Gamecocks increased their lead to five runs, putting a single run across in the bottom of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Belmont succeeded in getting runners on but could not get them over the plate, falling 6-1.
Sunday's finale of the three-game series at Jacksonville State is set to begin at 1 p.m. Live stats and audio will be available. Fans can also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontSoftball) for in-game updates.
