BELMONT — The undefeated Belmont softball team continued rolling along with a pair of shutout victories last week.
    At Belmont, on Tuesday, April 4, senior Paige Nolan tossed a four-hit shutout and blasted her second long ball of the young season and drove in three runs to help her own cause in a 5-0 victory over visiting Dodgeville.
    Belmont took an early 1-0 lead when Maddie Rand ripped a lead off double and later came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Nolan.
    A Nolan ground out in the bottom of the third inning made it 2-0.
    Belmont’s two-time Six Rivers West Player of the Year later belted a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. Later in the inning, sophomore catcher Abby Althaus drove in a pair of runs to account for the final score when she reached on an error.
    Nolan struck out eight and didn’t allow a walk in the seven-inning complete game shutout.
    Back at Bond Park, on Thursday, April 6, sophomore sensation Sadie Willborn threw a five-inning no-hitter while facing the minimum 15 batters and drove in three runs and scored another at the plate as the Lady Braves (5-0 overall, 1-0 SRC) opened Six Rivers Conference play with a dominating 12-0 victory over Black Hawk.
    Willborn struck out three and allowed only two baserunners in the five-inning no-hitter. One reached by a walk and the other by an error, but the Braves quickly erased both threats, picking one runner off first base and throwing another out attempting to steal second.
    Willborn also went 2-for-2 with three RBIs. Rand went 3-for-4 with three runs and an RBI. Althaus went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.
    Willborn was at it again in the pitching circle and at the plate for the Braves at home on Monday, April 10, as the Braves remained unbeaten with a 3-0 victory over Potosi.
    The hard-throwing right-hander fired a two-hit shutout with no walks and eight strikeouts to earn her fourth win of the season, and she helped her own cause by going 2-for-3 with a RBI-double.
    Willborn’s two-bagger plated Rand for the game’s first run in the bottom of the third inning, and her courtesy runner, Bridgett Mieden, came in to score on an error for a 2-0 lead.
    Rand extended the lead to 3-0 with a RBI-double in the fourth frame. She also finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a run and a RBI.
    Abby Kaiser hit a double for one of the Chieftains’ two hits.
    Jadyn Noonan took the loss after allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
    Belmont has a key Six Rivers West game at Highland on Tuesday, April 18, at 5 p.m.
    Black Hawk has a non-conference game at Belleville on Monday, April 17, starting at 4:45 p.m., and a Six Rivers East game at Monticello on Tuesday, April 18, starting at 5 p.m.

Black Hawk… 000  00 –   0    0  3
Belmont…….. 322  5x – 12  11  1
Leading Hitters: Black Hawk– None. Belmont– Maddie Rand 3x4, Sadie Willborn 2x2, Abby Althaus 2x3. 2B– Rand, Willborn, Paige Nolan.
WP- Willborn. LP- Hannah Butler.
At Belmont, on Thursday, April 6
   
Potosi……… 000  000  0 – 0  2  3
Belmont…… 002  100  x – 3  5  0
Leading Hitters:  Potosi– 2B- Abby Kaiser. Belmont– Maddie Rand 2x3, Sadie Willborn 2x3. 2B– Rand, Willborn.
WP- Willborn. LP- Jadyn Noonan.

Dodgeville… 000  000  0 – 0  4  5
Belmont…… 101  003  x – 5  5  0
Leading Hitters: Brianna Ernst 2x3. HR– Paige Nolan. 2B– Maddie Rand, Ernst.
WP- Nolan. LP- Johnson.
At Belmont, on Tuesday, April 4