MURRAY, Ky. — Bellarmine softball opened a five-game slate at the Velvet Milkman Invitational on Friday, and the Knights dropped a pair of games to Mid-American Conference foes Ball State and Miami Ohio.
 
Ball State defeated Bellarmine 10-2 in game one, while the Redhawks picked up a 13-1 win in game two.

Game One
 
Bellarmine's best offense came in the first inning of the day, as the Knights took a quick 2-0 lead.  Olivia Bricker singled to right field, and Anna Greenwell laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Bricker to second base.  Chloe Collins then stepped in and blasted her second home run of the season to center field. 
 
Ball State answered immediately, however, scoring two runs in the home half of the first inning with three hits, one walk, and a Bellarmine error.  The Cardinals added two more in the third thanks to four walks and another Knights error.
 
The game broke open in the home half of the fourth inning when Ball State plated five runs to take a 9-4 lead.  In the fifth, Jazmyne Armendariz hit a RBI double to score the 10^th run for Ball State and end the game after five innings.
 
The Knights collected four hits against Ball State, while the Cardinals produced 10 hits.  For Bellarmine, Collins went 1-3 with a home run, while Bricker went 1-2 with a walk.  Megan Konermann and Caitlyn Watson each went 1-2 with a double and single respectively at the bottom of the order for the Knights.
 
Carson Goatley pitched 4.1 for the Knights, while Bridie Murphy went all five innings for Ball State and earned the win.

Game Two

In similar fashion to game one, Bellarmine struck first in game two against defending MAC champion Miami Ohio. 
 
Bricker walked to open the game and was moved to second by a Greenwell sacrifice bunt.  Two batters later, Konermann singled up the middle to score Bricker and give BU a 1-0 lead.
 
After a pair of walks drawn by Miami Ohio, the Redhawks plated their first run with a RBI single from Maggie Murphy.
 
Bellarmine had another strong chance to take the lead in the second.  The Knights loaded the bases with an Emily O'Dee single, Kayla Bauer hit-by-pitch, and Bricker walk.  BU came up empty, however, and Miami pushed ahead its next time at the plate.  The Redhawks used five hits to score four runs and take a 5-1 advantage.
 
Miami Ohio added seven more runs in the third inning and added another in the fourth.  Bellarmine was unable to score to extend the game past the fifth.
 
The Redhawks held a 13-5 advantage in hits and drew five walks.  Bellarmine had the bases loaded in two innings and left nine runners on base. 
 
Bricker drew a walk in all three of her plate appearances in game two, while Konermann went 2-2 with a pair of singles.  O'Dee, Greenwell, and Madison Davis also collected singles for BU.
 
Claire Lehmkuhler and Elli Jensen each pitched for Bellarmine, while Taylor Turner went four innings for Miami Ohio to earn the win.

Bellarmine is back in action tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. ET (9:00 a.m. CT) against Miami Ohio.  The Knights will also face Ball State for the second time at 12:15 p.m. ET (11:15 a.m. CT) tomorrow afternoon.
 
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