Late Rally by Belmont Leads to 3-1 Defeat for Southern Illinois on Sunday

Sunday, March 29

Carbondale, IL

1 PM

Southern Illinois University

18-13, 7-4

Belmont

24-9, 11-3

Belmont

Southern Ill.

Late Rally by Belmont Leads to 3-1 Defeat for Southern Illinois on Sunday

03/29/2026 | 4:11:00 | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - In the final game of a three-game set against Belmont, the Southern Illinois University softball team (18-13 overall, 7-4 MVC) fell, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon.

The Salukis led for most of the game after taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Belmont wouldn't score until the seventh when it posted three runs to go ahead, 3-1.

Freshman Brooklynn Danielson got the start and put together another strong outing. Danielson held the Bruins scoreless for six innings and finished with a line of 6.1 innings pitched, five hits allowed, three runs, no walks, and two strikeouts.

Against Belmont's Maya Johnson, redshirt sophomore Maleah Blomenkamp led the way with two hits in three at bats. Blomenkamp finished the weekend with a .667 batting average after going 6-for-9 with one double, one triple, and one run scored.

Junior Emily Williams had SIU's lone RBI on Sunday, driving in sophomore Sage Grann in the first.

Danielson worked around a one-out single in the top of the first inning to keep the Bruins off the board. In the bottom half, Williams hit an RBI single with two outs to score Grann and give Southern Illinois a 1-0 lead.

After recording a 1-2-3 frame in the second, Danielson had another quick inning in the third. With one out and one Bruin on, the freshman produced a pop up to second baseman Erin Lee who threw out the runner at first to end the inning.

Through three, SIU led by a score of 1-0.

Danielson didn't allow a baserunner in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, retiring 11 consecutive Bruins. Against one of the nation's top arms in Johnson, the Salukis were unable to extend the lead, keeping the score at 1-0 heading to the seventh.

Belmont opened up the inning with a lead-off double. Two batters later, the Bruins took the lead on a two-run home run to left field, making it 2-1. One more run was added by the visitors, extending the advantage to two.

The Salukis went 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the inning, leading to the 3-1 final score.

Up Next
Southern Illinois will head back out on the road next weekend to visit Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind. The series will begin on Friday, April 3, at 12 p.m. (CT) with a doubleheader.

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