PEORIA, Ill. – The Belmont University Softball team opened its first Missouri Valley Conference road series in dominant fashion Friday, sweeping a doubleheader against Bradley University. The Bruins rolled to a 15–0 run-rule victory in five innings in game one before securing a 4–3 win in the nightcap.
VS Bradley – Game 1 (15–0, 5 inn.)
Belmont's offense erupted early and often, plating 15 runs on a variety of extra-base hits and timely at-bats.
The Bruins got on the board in the second inning when Brenna Blume doubled to left center to score Madison Dolecki. Belmont broke the game open in the third as Nicole Hughes launched a three-run home run, followed by a two-RBI double from Lizzie Ozim to extend the lead to 6–0.
The fourth inning saw even more fireworks. Rylee Spindler and Madison Dolecki each hit two-run home runs, while RBI hits from Ryan Breer and Emily Konz pushed the advantage to 12–0.
Belmont capped the scoring in the fifth with a two-RBI single from Anna Caskey and an RBI groundout by Tallulah Eichholz, ending the game at 15–0 via run rule.
In the circle, Ellie Giles earned the win, tossing 3.2 innings of one-hit shutout relief. Mackenzie Willis started the game, combining with Giles to limit Bradley to just one hit.
VS Bradley – Game 2 (4–3)
Belmont struck early again in game two. Madison Dolecki delivered an RBI single in the first inning before Maddy Balsiger reached on an error that brought home another run, giving the Bruins a 2–0 lead.
After Bradley cut into the lead with a solo home run in the fourth, Belmont responded in the fifth when Hughes came through again with a two-run homer to extend the advantage to 4–1.
The Braves scored two runs late in the seventh, but Maya Johnson shut the door to secure the 4–3 victory.
Johnson finished out in the circle allowing three runs on three hits while striking out 12 over seven innings to improve to 13–1 on the season.
Up Next
Belmont and Bradley conclude the series Saturday with first pitch set for 2 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available on gobelmontbruins.com.
Follow Belmont softball on social media — @BelmontSoftball on Twitter, @belmontsoftball on Instagram, and Belmont Bruins Softball on Facebook — for complete coverage. Stay up to date with all Belmont athletics through the official Belmont Bruins app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
