LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University baseball team got two outstanding performances from its starting pitchers, but the Knights opened the season by splitting a pair of Saturday home games as they fell 2-1 to Alderson Broaddus before defeating Hillsdale 6-3.
Austin Warner was lights out for Bellarmine (1-1) in his season debut. The senior left-hander struck out eight against no walks and allowed a single hit over 6.0 scoreless innings against Alderson Broaddus (1-1).
Michael Messier (1-0) was also impressive against Hillsdale (3-2) in his first start. The junior left-hander struck out 10 against one walk while yielding four hits and one earned run over 5.0 innings pitched. Messier earned the win while Warner took the unfortunate no-decision.
Bellarmine outhit Alderson Broaddus 8-6, but the Knights struggled to string hits together. BU scored its lone run in the third when senior center fielder
Jes Staples blasted a triple to center, and sophomore left fielder
Griffin Neuer drove him home on a ground out.
The Battlers' Chris Boatto (1-0) kept Bellarmine off the scoreboard from there and recorded the win after allowing eight hits with three strikeouts in 8.1 innings pitched. Trent Shaw retired the final two batters to collect a save. Alderson Broaddus scored a run apiece in the seventh and eighth innings to pull ahead and ultimately edge the Knights.
Junior first baseman
Nick Wright had two hits for Bellarmine in the opener.
In the second game, the Knights got off to a promising start against Hillsdale's Jacob Gardner (1-1) after posting three runs in the bottom of the first. A throwing error with two outs extended the inning, and Bellarmine took advantage. Wright and sophomore catcher
Brady Pfaadt laced consecutive RBI singles, and Wright came home on a wild pitch for a 3-1 lead. Neuer also singled in the inning.
Wright creamed an RBI double in the third, senior third baseman
Cole Metcalfe tripled and scored in the fifth and sophomore shortstop
Drew Greenwood punched a two-out, RBI single in the eighth to cap Bellarmine's scoring.
In his Bellarmine debut,
Yancey Pritchett pitched 3.0 scoreless innings of relief to earn his first save. With no outs and runners on second and third in the seventh, the sophomore right-hander escaped any damage by striking out the side. He allowed only one hit over his three frames.
Against Hillsdale, Wright was 2 for 4 with two RBIs while Neuer and sophomore second baseman
Trevor Lines added two hits apiece.
Bellarmine will host Alderson Broaddus at 11 a.m. (ET) Sunday at Knights Field before meeting Hillsdale at 5 p.m. at St. Xavier High School.
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ALDERSON BROADDUS BOX SCORE (HTM)HILLSDALE BOX SCORE (HTM)
