LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- In the final day of the Rebel Spring Games the Bellarmine University softball team split a pair of games with two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference teams as they fell to No. 20 Ashland University 6-0 before rallying to beat Ferris State 4-3 in the finale.
Game 1
Ashland showed plenty of reasons why they were ranked as high as No. 15 in the preseason polls as pitcher Emlyn Knerem shut down the Knights and the Eagles had 11 hits to overwhelm Bellarmine.
Knerem had a no hitter going into the seventh inning before the
Angel Zimmerman singled up the middle,
Casey Cleary would also single in the inning for Bellarmine's only two hits.
For Bellarmine,
Amanda Meyer and
Kaitlin Flak combined to give up six earned runs while striking out six.
Box Score
Game 2
After the Bulldogs(3-5) put up a run in the bottom of the first, Bellarmine(11-7) got on the board in the third as
Lauren Summe and
Jordan Basham got back-to-back RBI singles to take a 2-1 lead.
Ferris State battled back as they put up runs in the third and the fourth inning to grab the lead back at 3-2.
It looked like the Knights were going to be shut down again as they could only muster one base runner combined in the fourth through sixth inning as
Caley Melton reached on an error in the fourth.
Down to their last inning, Melton again got on base on a wide throw by Ferris State.
Megan Murdoch, who sustained an injury in the earlier game against Ashland, stepped up and smacked a fly ball over the left field fence to push the Knights ahead for good 4-3.
From the circle,
Casey Willard threw seven complete innings giving up two earned runs and striking out six. When Ferris State's Chelsea Morris struck out looking in the bottom of the fourth, Willard racked up her 350th career strikeout to pass Claire Horstman for tops on the career list.
Bellarmine has little time to rest though as they leave Kissimmee and travel to Springfield, Mo. as they open up Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a doubleheader against Drury on Mar. 12.
Box Score
