It’s always nice to start things off on the right foot.

Last week, the Saint Louis University softball team couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the season.

For the first time, the Billikens opened the season with a perfect 4-0 start after the Belmont Tournament in Nashville, Tenn.

The Bills began the weekend with a 5-3 win over Lipscomb and slid past Eastern Illinois 1-0 on Saturday.

Sunday, the Bills picked up the win over host Belmont 5-0 and won the rematch with EIU 5-2.

Saturday against Lipscomb, Nicole Bohnenstieh, junior preseason All-Conference selection l blasted a home run and had two RBI’s to lead the Billiken offense.

Senior Janet Venorsky helped anchor the offense with two hits and a pair of RBI’s. Adrie Bogaars paced the Bills with two hits in her two at-bats.

Sophomore Heather Hubert was solid on the mound, pitching six innings and earning two strikeouts.

“It was our first game of the season against Lipscomb, and we had a little of the pre-season jitters,” said coach Jim Malloy. “Once we got started we played well and lived up to the expectations we had for the first game.”

Against Eastern Illinois, the Bills edged past the Panthers 1-0. In the bottom of the eighth, Beth Yagge was the only Billiken to drive in a run to slip past Eastern for the win.

Bohnenstiehl steadied the Billikens by adding two hits and picking up the win with eight shutout innings and setting down 13 batters.

Sunday the Bills dominated host Belmont early on in the match up. In the second inning, leadoff hitter Bogaars singled and advanced to second after a single from Yagge.

Jamie Hayden drove in both runners with a long single along the right field line to put the Bills on the board 2-0.

The Billikens continued to overpower Belmont later in the game, as Beth Puttcamp scored in the top of the fourth and Bogaars added an RBI groundout to further advance the Bills.

Hubert struck out seven batters and allowed just two hits, and picking up her second win of the season.

In the rematch with EIU, the Bills proved that the narrow victory in their first meeting wasn’t a fluke. Eastern took the lead first by scoring in the top of the fourth, but the Bills answered back with seven runs in the bottom of the inning. The Billiken rampage was started by a single from Bohnenstiehl, followed by a double by Bogaars.

Venorsky, Kalee Reichert, Hayden and Erin Jeffreys sealed the inning for the Bills by driving in six batters, and Bohnenstiel closed the game for the Billiken offense with a solo homer in the sixth.

According to Malloy, it’s no surprise the Bills fared so well in the tournament.

The bulk of the team is composed of returning starters, with only one starter from last year, Meredith Henry, not returning. Henry is still a part of the program as a graduate assistant.

“The team has been together for a while,” Malloy said. “The core part of the infield has been together for three years. Experience helps a great deal, and they’re all very good athletes.’

Along with the large group of returning starters, five newcomers join the Bills. Freshmen Adrianne May and Beth Schomaker join the lineup as recruits, while walk-ons Lacey Dively, Maria Thorson, and Tiffany Thurow round out the freshman class.

In addition to new players, the Bills coaching staff has two additions. Besides graduate assistant Henry, Natalie Bennett joins the staff as an assistant coach.

Bennett boasts experience at Drake and Florida State University as a starter at both schools.

“(Bennett) is an excellent technician and will help our team a lot. Henry has the flexibility to work with pitchers and catchers, which will also help us,” said Malloy.

Saturday, the Billikens will return to Tennessee for the UT-Martin Tournament to face Indiana State, UT-Martin and play a rematch with Lipscomb.

Depending on the outcome of Saturday, the Bills will play two games Sunday based on seedings in the tournament.

With the strong group of returners and talented group of freshman, the Billikens hope that their perfect 4-0 start will carry through this weekend and expect success as the season progresses.

“This is a very experienced team,” said Malloy. “I expect them to do very well.”