CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Belmont Softball rallied to earn a split on the road in OVC action on Saturday. The Bruins (6-9, 2-4 OVC) fell, 12-6, in game one before ralying to take the rubber match of the series, defeating Eastern Illinois (12-5, 5-1 OVC), 7-4, to hand them their first conference loss of the season.
The programs last met in 2019 with BU winning the doubleheader in Illinois, for Belmont's first wins ever over the Panthers.
Eastern Illinois posted five runs over the first two innings of game one leaving a big gap for the Bruins to fill. However, BU was able answer quickly and exploded in the top of the third and nearly batted all the way around through the lineup when they were finished. Sophomore MyKayla Spurlin (Madisonville, Ky.) knocked a leadoff double to the center field fence to get the hit parade started. She was joined on base by classmate Kailey Brown (San Antonio, Texas) who hit an infield single.
Freshman Kaley Varner (Cumming, Ga.) loaded the bases with her single down the left line to score one before senior Cheyenne Cavanaugh (Spring, Texas) singled to load the bases again. Back-to-back singles by junior Audrey Lyle (Westlake, Ohio) and senior Alicia Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) pushed two more runs over the plate for BU. A ground out saw Cavanaugh turn on the jets to race home for the fourth run. Belmont used a sac fly by senior Elison Ollinger (Robins, Iowa) to net the tying run, 5-5.
After keeping the Panthers silent in their half of the third, the Bruins grabbed their first lead of the day, logging a run in the top of the fourth, to make it a one-run game, 6-5. However, EIU came storming back in the final innings. Lifted by a base clearing double to go up 7-5, the Panthers did not look back. Eastern Illinois went on to add four more runs in the bottom of the sixth and cruised to the 12-6 win.
In the rubber game, the home team scored first again. The Panthers held on to the 1-0 lead through the first three innings until Belmont got its bats going. In the top of the fourth frame, sophomore Abi Ledbetter (Livingston, Tenn.) drilled a leadoff solo homerun, her first of the season to turn things up a notch. Senior Elison Ollinger (Robins, Iowa) followed with a triple, her first of the season, and was sent over the plate, thanks to an RBI groundout by Spurlin.
Belmont continued to fire on all cylinders. In the top of the fifth, the visitors used a double by senior Cheyenne Cavanaugh (Spring, Texas) as the spark. She was sent over the plate by classmate Alicia Veltri's long single to center. Ledbetter joined her on base before Ollinger let loose a three-run shot over the right fence to put Belmont ahead, 6-1. EIU was able to add a run in its half of the same stanza.
The Bruins preserved their run advantage over the next two innings, even adding an insurance run, thanks to a wild pitch, in the top of the seventh to take a 7-2 lead. Down but not completely out, Eastern Illinois logged a two out, two-run homerun in the bottom of the same inning to make things interesting. However, the Bruin defense was able to close the door and secure the 7-4 victory.
For the day, Ledbetter hit .571, going 4-for-7, with a pair of runs and a homerun. Spurlin notched a pair of doubles and Ollinger logged a triple and a homerun.
Inside the circle, senior Alicia Veltri went the distance in game one, fanning four batters. Senior Autumn McDanel (Moravia, Iowa) and Brown also saw action, combining for five strikeouts.
Belmont returns to action March 20-21 at E.S. Rose Park. The Bruins host Southeast Missouri State for a three-game series.
