Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Bellarmine University baseball team used Thursday's doubleheader at Kentucky State as an opportunity to work its bullpen. And that worked out just fine for the Knights.

Four different pitchers took the mound for Bellarmine in a 5-2 victory over the Thorobreds in the opener, and three separate hurlers combined for a 4-0 shutout in the tail end as the Knights won for the sixth time in seven games.

Offensively, Bellarmine (6-4) struck for a pair of runs in the first inning of both games against Kentucky State (2-5) to immediately take some pressure off the pitching staff. The Knights led 5-1 after three innings in the initial contest and 4-0 after four innings in the finale. They collected 18 hits for the day, including 11 in Game 2.

The hits were largely spread around amongst the Knights. Senior center fielder Austin Crutcher blasted a home run in each game to raise his season total to three. Junior third baseman Cole Metcalfe also went deep for BU in the opener, while sophomore first baseman Nick Wright and freshman catcher Brady Pfaadt tagged the wall with doubles in the tail end.

Wright went 3 for 4 in the finale, while eight Knights collected one hit apiece. Freshman designated hitter Zac Wiley and sophomore catcher Christopher Allen tallied two hits each in the first contest.

None of Bellarmine's customary starters pitched Thursday. Instead, Coach Larry Owens divvied up the innings between members of a bullpen that has seen limited action due in large part to consistently harsh weather that has wreaked havoc on the schedule.

Junior right-handers Evan McNair and John Hakemoller (1-0) pitched 2.0 innings apiece in the opener, sophomore right-hander Griffin Caron fired 1.2 innings and sophomore right-hander Will Birch tossed the last 1.1 while earning his first save of the season. Both runs that Kentucky State scored were unearned.

In the second game, sophomore left-hander Michael Messier (1-0) threw the first 3.0 innings, freshman left-hander Hunter Spencer made his collegiate pitching debut and tossed 1.1 innings and freshman southpaw Willie Poe sewed up the first save of his BU career with 2.2 scoreless innings of relief to finish off the shutout.

Crutcher started Bellarmine off with a bang in the opener when he followed a walk by junior Jes Staples with a no-doubt homer over the left-field fence. The Knights added two more runs in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by freshman second baseman Alex Ralph and a wild pitch that scored Allen, and they tacked on their final run when Metcalfe roped a solo homer down the left-field line in the third.

Bellarmine had another strong start in the second game. With two outs in the first inning, Wright tattooed a two-run double off the wall in left center. The Knights added a run in the third when Crutcher creamed a solo homer to right center, and they pushed across their final run in the fourth on Staples' RBI single.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE (HTM)
GAME 2 BOX SCORE (HTM)