Box Score SHAWNEE, Okla. – The Belhaven softball team (42-15) picked up a victory in their first game of the NAIA Opening Round Tournament on Monday with a 16-1 rout of Bellevue University (35-16). The Blazers now will play top-seeded St. Gregory's at 12:00 on Tuesday afternoon.

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The Blazers struck for three runs in the first inning before adding another three in the second and a lone tally in the third. The devastating blow for the Bruins came in the fourth inning, when Belhaven exploded for nine runs. Bellevue plated their only run of the contest in the fifth inning, but with the damage already done, the Blazers cruised to an easy victory.

"We hit the ball as well as we possibly could today," Head Coach Kevin Griffin said. "I was proud of the way our team responded to playing in bad weather along with it being the first game of the Opening Round."

Individually, SSAC Player of the Year Dominique Corona paced the Belhaven offense with four base hits and 5 RBI. Denee' Crawford added another four base hits while driving in four, while Emily Todd drove in another four runs on her three base knocks. Josie Porter and Victoria Sorrell each added a pair of hits, giving the Blazers 17 as a team.

It proved to be plenty to aid Jessica Paris (13-4) in the circle, as the senior went four innings and struck out four in her 13th win of the year. Ginger Lonergan finished the game for Belhaven, overcoming two hits in the final frame to boost Belhaven to a victory in the tournament opener.

"Jessica was phenomenal in the circle again," Griffin said. "She worked ahead in the count and really controlled the game."

Bellevue's Taylor Mohler was on the wrong end of nine Belhaven hits over her 2.1 innings of work. When combined with four walks, Mohler was tagged for nine runs before Kelli Fisher attempted to soften the blow. The relief appearance didn't phase the hot-hitting Blazers, as Fisher surrendered another eight runs over the final 2.2 innings.

Syndey Robertson's RBI in the bottom of the fifth proved to be the lone bright spot for the Bruins, who now find themselves in the losers' bracket. Bellevue will take on  Concordia on Tuesday at 3:00 pm.