ST. LOUIS—The Bellarmine baseball team split a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader today at Maryville University, dropping the opener 6-3 before coming back to take the nightcap 6-2 behind a complete game by Benjamin Fuchs. 

The Knights now stand 10-7 overall and 3-1 in conference play, which is tied for second the East Division. The Saints move to 7-8, 3-3 GLVC.

Bellarmine plays another GLVC doubleheader tomorrow, but only has to travel across town as the Knights opponent is Missouri-St. Louis. First pitch for tomorrow's doubleheader is scheduled for noon (CDT).

GAME 1 Recap

After a scoreless first, the host Saints played four runs on five hits as Maryville center fielder Colby White provided the big blow with a triple to drive in two of the five runs. The home team tacked on an unearned run in the bottom of the third to take a 5-0 lead.

The Knights cut into that lead with a 3-run sixth inning as Andy Gehr, Austin Crutcher and Sam Burke all registered RBIs in the inning. 

Maryville added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, but didn't need it as Saints reliever Matt Staback allowed just one Bellarmine hit over the final three innings to record his first save of the year.

Bellarmine starter Phil Forbis was saddled with the loss and dropped to 2-2 on the season after getting credit for the win in Bellarmine's 15-0 romp over Indiana University Southeast on Wednesday. 

Crutcher, Gehr and Kyle Roden all recorded multi-hit games with two hits apiece, but the rest of the Knights combined to go just two for 24. 

GAME 1 BOX SCORE


GAME 2 Recap

Bellarmine starting pitcher Ben Fuchs retired the last 13 batters he faced and surrendered just two unearned runs as the lefty picked up the 7-inning, complete game victory. 

Maryville struck first in Game 2, taking advantage of a Bellarmine error and rallying with two outs to plate a pair of runs on three hits.

In the top of the third, it was the Knights to capitalize on an error as Graham Spencer led off by reaching base on a bad throw from the shortstop. Justin Eberenz sacrifice bunted Spencer to second, and after a walk to Cody Scheler, Phillip Leopold knocked in BU's first run of the game with a single up the middle.  Kal Scheler then drove in another run with a grounder to the right side as the Knights tied the game 2-2.

Two innings later, Bellarmine took the lead for good after Michael Morrissette drew a leadoff walk and was successfully sacrificed to second on Leopold's bunt.  The Knights placed runners at the corners after Maryville second baseman Nick Little misplayed a ball of the bat of Kal Scheler.  Morrissette then scampered home with the eventual game-winning run when the Saints' catcher Daniel Barnette threw wildly on a stolen base attempt by Kal Scheler.

With a 1-run lead safely under his belt, Fuchs started mowing down the would-be Saints' hitters and did not allow a Maryville baserunner the rest of the way. 

The Knights tacked on three more runs in the top of the seventh as Leopold belted a solo homer, and Roden's triple to deep center drove in Kal Scheler who was on base after his single.  Gehr recorded the game's final RBI as he drove in Roden with a ground out to shortstop. 

GAME 2 BOX SCORE