EDWARDSVILLE – Belmont struck for big innings Sunday to defeat SIUE at Cougar Field.
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The Bruins improved to 30-19 overall and 12-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 10-4 win and an 11-3 victory in six innings over the Cougars, which dropped to 15-24 overall and 7-11 in the OVC.
"We didn't catch too many breaks, and we didn't make many of our own," said SIUE Interim Head Coach Jessica Jones. "I do like how offensively we didn't give up. We kept that fight (Abby) Marlow's home run was phenomenal."
Sunday also served as Senior Day for the Cougars. SIUE honored seniors Alyssa Heren and Janie Smith before the doubleheader.
"Alyssa had some big shoes to fill when she first came in and did a phenomenal job with that," said Jones. "She's great defensively and runs like a deer out there. Her defensive skills are irreplaceable. She's consistent when it comes to getting on base. So those are two pieces we'll definitely be missing.
"Janie has been our first girl off the bench every game. She almost guarantees us a run, and that is extremely important," Jones added.
Marlow hit her second home run of the week in the fifth inning of game two Sunday.
"And I can tell you we have the best second baseman in the conference," said Jones. "Bailley (Concatto) had some amazing plays out there, and she is 100% hustle."
Concatto batted .450 for the week with a team-leading nine hits and seven RBIs.
Belmont scored multiple runs five times over the two games and took advantage of its 24 hits.
SIUE now has five games left on the regular season schedule. The Cougars travel Wednesday to face rival SIU Carbondale. The OVC season closes out Saturday and Sunday with makeup games against Murray State and Austin Peay.
"They're huge because they're going to determine if we get in the tournament or not. We're going to prepare as hard we can from an offensive and defensive standpoint and pull out some wins," said Jones.
