BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Belmont University Softball team opened play at the Samford Tournament on Friday, splitting day one with a 5-9 loss to North Alabama before responding with a dominant 5-0 shutout victory over host Samford at the Samford Softball Stadium.
VS North Alabama Lions (5-9)
Belmont struck first in the top of the second inning. Nicole Hughes singled to right field and later stole second, allowing Daria Haynie to score and give the Bruins an early edge.
North Alabama answered in the bottom half of the inning with three runs to take control. The Lions continued to add to their lead throughout the middle innings, including a two-run homer in the fourth and solo shots in the fifth and sixth.
The Bruins showed resilience at the plate, highlighted by a two-run home run from Hughes in the fourth inning that plated Emily Konz. In the sixth, Konz delivered again with an RBI single to left, advancing Dariya Haynie and scoring Maddy Balsiger. Lauren Luciani added a solo home run in the seventh to keep Belmont within striking distance.
Belmont attempted a late rally in the final frame, capped by Lizzie Ozim's two-out double, but the comeback effort came up short as the Bruins fell 5-9.
In the circle, Hannah Leierer (3.0 IP), Ellie Giles (2.0 IP), and Anna Caskey (1.0 IP) combined for six innings of work, each recording a strikeout.
VS Samford Bulldogs (5-0)
Belmont wasted no time responding in game two. Emily Konz opened the scoring in the second inning with a two-run double to center field, driving in Brenna Blume and Maddy Balsiger. Rylee Spindler followed with an RBI double to left, scoring Konz and giving the Bruins a 3-0 advantage.
The Bruins continued to generate runs with productive outs. In the fourth inning, Lizzie Ozim lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Spindler. Ozim repeated in the sixth with another sac fly, once again scoring Spindler to extend the lead to five.
Maya Johnson was untouchable in the circle, tossing a complete-game shutout. The pitcher scattered four hits, struck out 15, and did not allow a run to secure the 5-0 victory.
Offensively, Spindler had two runs scored and an RBI, while Konz finished with two RBIs. Balsiger added three hits and a run scored to round out the Bruins' strong showing.
Up Next
Belmont will continue the Samford Tournament on Saturday taking on Lindenwood, followed by a rematch against North Alabama as the Bruins look to build momentum in Birmingham. Live stats will be available on belmontbruins.com.
Follow Belmont Softball on social media – @BelmontSoftball on Twitter, @belmontsoftball on Instagram, and Belmont Bruins Softball on Facebook – for complete coverage of the Bruins.
