The Belmont University softball team advanced to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship game following a 4–0 shutout victory over Murray State University on May 8 at Charlotte West Stadium. The Bruins are seeking their second consecutive tournament championship after last year’s title.
The game was highlighted by another dominant pitching performance from senior Johnson, who threw a two-hit shutout and recorded 17 strikeouts. This matched her tournament career high set in Thursday’s game against Illinois State. Johnson has now tallied 34 strikeouts across two tournament games while allowing only four total hits. She improved her season record to 27–2 and earned her 14th shutout of the year, contributing to Belmont’s 18th team shutout this season.
Belmont took an early lead in the first inning when Konz drew a leadoff walk and Spindler singled, setting up Dolecki’s two-RBI single for a quick advantage. In the third inning, Hughes extended the lead with a two-run home run, marking her eighth homer of the season and bringing her career total to twenty home runs with thirty-four RBIs this year.
Johnson dominated from start to finish, striking out nine batters in just the first three innings and finishing with seventeen strikeouts on one hundred nineteen pitches. Spindler raised her Missouri Valley Conference-leading batting average to .448 after collecting two hits during the win. Dolecki added two more RBIs for a season total of thirty-three, nearly doubling last year’s mark.
Belmont will compete in the MVC Tournament Championship game on Saturday, May 9 at Charlotte West Stadium against either Southern Illinois University, Illinois State University or Murray State University once again. The team encourages fans to follow their social media channels for updates and coverage as they pursue another conference title.
