Box Score EVANSVILLE, Ind.—A four-run sixth inning fueled by a bases loaded double off the bat of
Graham Spencer lifted the Bellarmine Knights past the Lewis Flyers 6-3 tonight in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament being played at the University of Southern Indiana baseball field. The win advances the Knights into the championship game of the tourney, where they will meet top-seeded Drury at 11 a.m. CDT (noon EDT) at Bosse Field in Evansville.
Lewis struck first with a run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the first, but the Knights tied it in the home half of the inning.
Michael Morrissette led off with a single, then stole second. After
Jes Staples' sacrifice bunt moved Morrissette to third, the Bellarmine first baseman scored easily when
Phillip Leopold singled to right center.
After four scoreless innings, Lewis reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth when a two-out walk and subsequent wild pitch put Flyer catcher Brian Norwood in scoring position and shortstop Mike Barajas drove him home with a single to give Lewis a 2-1 lead.
The Knights came back in the bottom half of the frame by combining good hitting with poor pitching. The Flyer pitchers gave the Knights three free passes (two hit batters and a walk) to load the bases and Spencer delivered with a double down the line to drive in
Cole Metcalfe and
Cody Scheler. Then, a passed ball allowed Spencer to go to third and scored
Nick Hladek.
Justin Eberenz then delivered an RBI single to give the Knights a 5-2 advantage.
Both teams scored lone runs in the eighth to make it 6-3.
Lewis kept hopes alive as Jake Murray opened the ninth with a single to left, but Bellarmine closer
Justin Strohmeier got a big strike out, and then induced a game-ending double play to record his ninth save of the season.
Bellarmine got a solid performance from starting pitcher
Benjamin Fuchs, who scattered eight hits and gave up a pair of runs in six and two-thirds innings of work.
Offensively, the Knights were paced by Spencer, who drove in three runs and was 2-for-3 at the plate. Morrissette and Scheler also posted multi-hit games.
Bellarmine, which entered the tourney as the No. 6 seed, improves to 28-21, and Lewis, the No. 2 seed, falls to 31-16.
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