Oklahoma City Box Score
Texas Wesleyan Box Score

ALLEN, Texas --  The (RV) Bellevue University softball team opened the 2023 season in impressive fashion, upsetting top-ranked Oklahoma City University, 2-1, in the opener and shutting out Texas Wesleyan, 3-0, in the nightcap. The two games were played as part of the Southern Collegiate Sports NAIA Invitational at Allen Station Softball Fields.

The Bruins will conclude the tournament on Sunday with a 10 a.m. contest against No. 16 Columbia (Mo.) College and a 12:25 p.m. matchup with Oklahoma Panhandle State University.  

Bellevue 1, Oklahoma City 0 

A walk-off homer to left field by sophomore pitcher Katie Cunningham gave the Bruins a dramatic 2-1 win over the top-ranked Stars, handing OCU (3-1) its first loss of the 2023 season.

Cunningham (1-0) also earned the win in the circle, allowing five hits with one walk and six strikeouts in seven innings of work. 

Neither team scored until an RBI double to center field by Reese Floro drove in pinch runner Alexa Sidel from second to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.  

The Stars quickly responded in the top of the fourth when Tiffany Paul led off the frame with a solo homer to center field to knot the contest at 1-1. 

OKC threatened in the top of the seventh when Paul singled to left field and advanced to second on a ground out and to third on a wild pitch. Cunningham ended the threat when she induced a popout to cleanup hitter Lexi Duff, keeping the score tied at 1-all.  

Cunningham led off the bottom of the seventh, and on a 2-2 count, she launched Shelbey Cornelson's pitch over the left-field fence to give the Bruins the 2-1 upset victory over the Stars.  

Floro went 2-for-2 in the win, with two doubles and an RBI. 

Bellevue 3, Texas Wesleyan 0

Timely hitting and the solid pitching effort of All-American Lauren Jurek led to the Bruins' 3-0 win over Texas Wesleyan in the nightcap.  

Myla Beckstrom's solo homer to left field gave BU a 1-0 advantage in the top of the fourth frame. 

Jurek got out of a runners-on-the-corners, one-out jam in the bottom of the fifth by hurling a pair of strikeouts to end the threat, helping BU maintain a 1-0 lead heading into the sixth inning. 

The Bruins added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh on Ashley Young's two-out RBI single to right field that scored Sidel from second, and when Lexi Blankenfeld scored from third on a Ram throwing error by catcher Khloe Summers to make it 3-0. 

After Jurek gave up a single to EB Zimmerman to open up the bottom of the seventh, Devin Dunn grounded into a double play, and Krysta White grounded out to BU shortstop Emma Crisman to give the Bruins the 3-0 shutout victory. 

Jurek (1-0) earned the complete-game victory, scattering five hits with one walk and five strikeouts in seven innings in the circle. 

Brynna Foster was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs on six hits with four walks and six strikeouts in seven innings of work.