Bruin Blitz 3/18/16

The sports department of the Vision is on the road this week with the basketball teams so this week’s edition of Bruin Blitz is coming to you in written form.

Due to Spring Break, we’ll be bringing you two weeks worth of sports coverage this week so let’s get started.

Leading off with hoops, both teams wrapped up their conference tournaments March 4 and 5. The women dominated SIUE in the semifinals 92-68 and blew out Eastern Kentucky 95-63 to capture their second NCAA automatic bid in program history.

The latter score was the largest margin of victory in the history of the women’s OVC tournament. Sophomore Sally McCabe was named tournament MVP and she and freshman Darby Maggard were both named to the All-Tournament team.

The women will play their NCAA Tournament game Friday at 11:05 a.m. against No. 4 seed Michigan State. Come back to the Belmont Vision on Friday for an update on how the team did.

The men’s tournament did not go nearly as well for Belmont as the top-seeded Bruins were stunned by the No. 8 seed Austin Peay Governors in overtime of the semifinals. A last-second attempt by senior Craig Bradshaw went in, but came just after the buzzer to eliminate the Bruins.

Junior Evan Bradds was selected to the All-Tournament team for his 32-point performance in the loss.

The men then received a No. 6 seed in the NIT for winning the OVC regular season championship and went on the road to play No. 3 seed Georgia Wednesday.

The Bruins trailed for most of the game, but had the lead cut down to two late in the game. However, the Bulldogs would pull away and end the Bruins’ season with a 93-84 loss in the NIT.

Moving on to the diamond, baseball and softball teams had plenty of games over the last two weeks.

The baseball team had a total of seven home games and came with a 4-3 record. They also had their first road game of the season at Middle Tennessee State University and came away with a 9-4 victory.

The softball team was on the road at Red and Blue Classic in Oxford, Mississippi where they recorded a 1-4 record. They also played a game against Tennessee in the Mid-State Softball Classic which they lost 16-0.

However, the team rebounded with their first home games of the season. The softball team played five games at home and recorded a 4-1 record.

Junior Kayla Wells was named the OVC Softball Player of the Week by College Sports Madness for her performance in the past week.

Moving on to the golf course, the men’s team was in action March 7 through March 8 at the Bash at the Beach in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The team finished fifth overall in a field of 19 and senior Ashton Van Horne was named OVC Golfer of the Week for his second-place overall finish in the event.

The men then traveled to Pinehurst, North Carolina for the Pinehurst Intercollegiate where they finished sixth in a field of 11 teams. Senior Scott Barnhart carded the lowest score among Belmont golfers and finished fifth overall.

The women’s golf team opened up their spring season with a dual match against Austin Peay in Gulf Shores, Alabama on March 9 and March 10. The women fell short and lost the match by 22 strokes.

Moving on to the tennis court, the men’s tennis team was in action with two matches over Spring Break. First, came a home match against VCU on March 9 which saw the Bruins lose by a score of 5-2.

Then, the men played on the road against Samford Saturday and lost again by a score of 6-1.

This week in sports, both men’s and women’s track and field return to action at the Alabama Relays in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The event started Thursday and will continue through Saturday.

The baseball team begins their conference schedule with a three-game series at home against Eastern Kentucky from Friday through Sunday. They also play a one-game series against Lipscomb on Tuesday before hitting the road for a three-game series at Morehead State beginning on Thursday.

The softball team also starts conference action with a three-game series against Morehead State at home on Saturday and Sunday. The softball team will also play a single game at Lipscomb on Wednesday.

The women’s golf team will compete in the Samford Intercollegiate in Birmingham, Alabama on Monday and Tuesday.

The women’s tennis team returns to action with a home game against Jacksonville State Friday at 2 p.m. The women then have a doubleheader Thursday with a game against the University of Tennessee at 10 a.m. followed by a conference road game against Tennessee State at 4 p.m.

Finally, the men’s tennis team will have a home game against Jacksonville State Friday at 2 p.m. They will also have a home game against Tennessee Tech Saturday with a scheduled start time of 10 a.m.

With that, we wrap up this edition of Bruin Blitz.

Be sure to check back next Friday where we will return to our video format for the show.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @sportsatBU for all the latest news in Belmont athletics.

Go Bruins!

#BruinBlitz #NIT #TrackandField #BelmontAthletics #NCAATournament #softball #tennis #basketball #baseball #golf