After compiling an unthinkable run of four straight walkoff victories in the comforts of Bond Park, the Belmont softball team hit the road and took the drama out of victory, slugging its way to lop-sided wins at Argyle last Thursday and Cassville this past Monday.
     On Monday the Braves slammed four home runs and belted out 13 hits in an easy 16-1 victory over the same Cassville/River Ridge team that battled Belmont to a 5-4 decision just 11 days earlier at Belmont. The Braves won that April 5 contest on Niki Jenkins walkoff two-run double through the left side of the infield.
     Belmont (8-0) didn’t need such dramatics Monday night to run its winning streak to eight games.
     Senior Molly Bockhop went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs, Jenkins went 3-for-3 with a homer and Katelyn Schobert added a dinger.
     Junior Kalyn Kamps (8-0) picked up her eight win of the season allowing just one run on two hits.
     Last Thursday Belmont pounded out 17 hits and hammered host Argyle 14-7.
     Bockhop went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs in the game.  Kamps (3x3), Schobert (3x5) and Jenkins (3x5) also had three hits apiece for the winners.
     Last Tuesday night the Braves capped their streak of walkoff wins with a 3-2 walkoff victory over previously unbeaten Lancaster.
     With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning junior outfielder Daisy Cunzenheim walked, then Bockhop delivered a two-run game-winning double down the left field line, giving the Braves their fourth straight walk-off win in the span of just nine days.
     “I don’t know if I’ve seen four walkoff wins in my entire career before this year,” said Belmont head coach Jeff Hodgson. “I can’t remember that many if I have. “We have shown a lot of character. We have shown we are a year older and we have shown the depth we have with three or four different kids stepping up to hit game winners. If we keep improving I am very excited about our potential this year.”
     Belmont tied the game on a clutch two-run single by Jenkins in the bottom of the sixth.
     The Braves also escaped a huge jam in the top of the sixth inning when the Arrows got runners to second and third with just one out. But Kamps struck out Lancaster’s Kate Noble, then after an intentional walk to Arrow slugger Taylor Holzinger, forced Emily Martin to fly out to first base to end the threat.
     Lancaster’s defense took away a pair of Belmont scoring chances with diving stops by second baseman Ella Marcue in the third and shortstop Kate Noble in the fifth.
     “That was a great high school softball game,” added Hodgson. “Even if we would have lost. There were a lot of great plays by both teams and it was just a lot of fun. Honestly, we got up for that game because we want to be in the conversation with Lancaster as the best team in the area. Playing them raised our level of play.”
     Last Monday Belmont reached into its bag of tricks and walked off with a 6-5 victory over visiting Galena after the Braves’ Niki Jenkins scored the game-winner in the bottom of the eighth inning by stealing home on a delayed steal.
     Jenkins led off the home half of the eighth with a double, was moved to third by a sacrifice bunt. Emma Eastlick drew a two-out walk and stole second as Jenkins scored the winning run.
     The Braves tied the game with a five-run rally in the bottom of the fourth inning, that was highlighted by a two-run homer to dead centerfield  by freshman catcher Katelyn Schobert.

Belmont 6, Galena 5
(from Monday, April 9 @ Belmont)
Galena    202    100     00    -   5   8  2
Belmont    000    500    01    -   6 14  1
Leading hitters - B: Katelyn Schobert 2x3, Molly Bockhop 2xs4, Niki Jenkins 2x4. 2B - Schobert, Jenkins. HR - Schobert. W - Kalyn Kamps (6-0, 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 6 SO, 2 BB). L - Miles.

Belmont 3, Lancaster 2
(from Tuesday, April 10 @ Belmont)
Lancaster    200    000     0    -   2   4  0
Belmont    000    002    1    -   3   9  0
Leading hitters - B: Molly Bockhop 3x4, Mallory Ray 2x3. 2B - L: Taylor Holzinger; B: Bockhop 3. W - Kalyn Kamps (6-0, 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 5 SO, 4 BB). L - Andrea Duncan.

Belmont 14, Argyle 7
(from Thursday, April 12 @ Argyle)
Belmont    451    002    2    -   14 17  2
Argyle    031    030     0    -   7   7  1
Leading hitters - B: Katelyn Schobert 3x5, Molly Bockhop 3x3, Niki Jenkins 3x5, Kalyn Kamps 3x3, Alli Linneman 2x3. 2B - Kamps.  3B - Jenkins, Emma Eastlick. W - Kalyn Kamps (7-0, 7 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 11 SO, 6 BB). L - Treuthardt (7 IP, 17 H, 14 R, 4 SO, 3 BB).

Belmont 14, Cassville/River Ridge 1
(from Monday, April 16 @ Cassville)
Belmont    240    73        -  16 13  1
Cassville/R.Ridge    010    00         -   1   2  2
Leading hitters - B: Katelyn Schobert 2x3, Daisy Cunzenheim 2x5, Molly Bockhop 2x4, Niki Jenkins 3x3, Kalyn Kamps 2x3. 2B - C/RR: Koch 2; B: Mackenzie Kamps. 3B - C/RR: Junk; B: Cunzenheim. HR - B: Schobert, Bockhop 2, Jenkins. W - Kalyn Kamps (8-0). L - Philli