TUCSON, Ariz. -- The 25th-ranked Bellevue University softball team suffered a pair of losses on Thursday at the Tucson Invitational Games, falling 8-2 to 10th-ranked Madonna University before being shut out 6-0 to Concordia (Mich.) University in the finale.
The two losses drop Bellevue to 9-9 on the season.
The Bruins will conclude their Arizona trip tomorrow (Mar. 7) with a 2:30 p.m. (CT) contest against Park-Gilbert and a 4:30 p.m. matchup with Ottawa (Ariz.).
Madonna used three multi-scoring innings while outhitting BU, 8-5, en route to the 8-2 victory in the opener.
The Crusaders took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on RBI singles by Brynn Anteau and Ashley Rosiewicz.
Sparked by a three-run double to left field by Mackenzie Ming, Madonna expanded the lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the third frame.
Bellevue responded in the top of the fourth on a two-run homer to left field by Katie Cunningham to slice the deficit to 6-2.
MU made it 8-2 in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly to left field by Jessica Dunkel and an RBI triple to left field by Ella Thomas.
Ellie Zoucha (2-4) suffered the loss, allowing six runs on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work.
Camille Oyer improved to 4-1 on the season with the complete-game victory. She scattered five hits with one walk and two strikeouts in seven innings in the circle.
Concordia (Mich) 6, Bellevue 0
The Bruins stranded nine baserunners and managed just one extra-base hit in the 6-0 loss to Concordia.
The Cardinals grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI triple to right-center field by Katie Tobias and a run-scoring double to right field by Faith Cramton.
CU made it 3-0 in the top of the third on an RBI double to left field by Maddy Grueter.
Cramton's two-run double to right field highlighted a three-run seventh inning for the Cardinals as CU increased the advantage to 6-0.
Kaitlyn Fisher blasted a double to center field in the bottom of the seventh, but Paige Anderson struck out three Bruins to earn the complete-game shutout victory.
Cunningham (6-3) was tagged with the loss, allowing six runs on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts in seven innings.
Anderson struck out 10 Bruins, improving to 2-1 on the season.
