Belmont softball earns first-ever NCAA Tournament berth with MVC tourney title win
The Bruins hit three home runs en route to a 6-2 victory over Southern Illinois in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game in Des Moines to earn the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
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Belmont (40-14, 20-7) entered the tournament as the 2-seed after dropping just one series in league play (to top-seeded Southern Illinois). It beat 7-seed Bradley and 3-seed Northern Iowa to advance to the final.
The Bruins took a 3-0 lead with back-to-back home runs by Brenna Blume and Madison Dolecki in the third inning. Southern Illinois sliced the Belmont lead to 3-2, but Nicole Hughes' three-run homer in the seventh provided insurance.
The NCAA Tournament field will be announced in full at 6 p.m. CT on May 11, with coverage on ESPN2. NCAA regional play begins May 16.
The Bruins have a solid résumé out of conference, with a series win over Maryland and wins over Purdue and Arizona State against power conference competition.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Belmont softball earns first-ever NCAA Tournament berth
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