WESTFIELD, Ind. — Every Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament game for the Bellarmine University baseball team was rife with tension.

Unfortunately, the Knights came away disappointed in the final two nail biters following an exhilarating win in their tournament opener, the capper being an 8-5 loss to No. 18 Quincy in an elimination game on Saturday at Grand Park.

Bellarmine (25-26) wasn't ranked among the Midwest Region's top 10 entering the conference tournament. The Knights went 1-2, defeating Quincy before falling to William Jewell and then to the Hawks in the rematch.

A critical fielding error by Quincy helped open the door for Bellarmine's ninth-inning comeback in the first game. Unfortunately for BU, the Knights returned the favor on Saturday. With the score knotted at 5 in the ninth, Bellarmine committed two errors and there was an infield single that probably could have been ruled an error. Those miscues led to three unearned runs for Quincy (37-15).

Senior third baseman Cole Metcalfe went 4 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Junior first baseman Nick Wright and sophomore catcher Brady Pfaadt both registered two hits and two RBIs, and sophomore left fielder Griffin Neuer chipped in two hits.

Junior left-hander Michael Messier piled up a career-high 11 strikeouts in 7.0 innings pitched for Bellarmine. Quincy scored two runs in the second and three in the fourth off Messier, but the southpaw didn't allow a run over his last 3.0 innings and struck out the side in the seventh.

Bellarmine trailed 5-1 but rallied to tie with four runs in the fifth, all with two outs. Neuer kept the Knights alive with a single and scored when Metcalfe blistered a double off the left center field wall. Wright followed with an RBI single, and Greenwood made it four hits in a row with a single. Pfaadt then extended that streak to five straight when he rifled a tying two-run double down the right-field line.

Bellarmine missed a golden opportunity to score after Neuer and Metcalfe both singled starting the seventh. Quincy also overcame a leadoff walk to freshman designated hitter Zac Wiley to open the eighth.

Quincy reached on a throwing error to open the ninth, and things only went downhill from there for Bellarmine. A force out attempt was dropped at second base. The Knights missed another chance to get an out when a soft ground ball wasn't fielded cleanly. The Hawks took advantage by plating three runs.

Senior right-handers Evan McNair (3-4) and John Hakemoller didn't allow an earned run over 2.0 combined innings of relief. McNair appeared in all three GLVC Tournament games for the Knights and didn't yield an earned run in 5.2 innings pitched.

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