KANSAS CITY, Mo.-The Bellarmine University softball team split with the host Rockhurst Hawks today in a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader at Loyola Park. In the opener, the Knights jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first and went on to secure a 5-3 victory. The nightcap was a marathon, 14-inning affair that saw the Hawks (9-17, 2-6 GLVC) rally with four runs in the last inning to take a 6-5 win to earn the split.

The Knights (14-16, 4-4 GLVC) return home before a nonconference game at Kentucky State on Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Frankfort.

GAME 1: BU 5, RU 3 (HTM BOX SCORE)

The Knights' Katie Stamper provide a timely 2-run double to help stake Bellarmine to a 3-0 lead after their first at-bat before the Hawks came back with a run in the home half of the first with three singles.

Bellarmine extended its lead to 4-1 in the top of the third when Kelly Ely led off with a double to left, took third on a ground out and came around to score on a wild pitch.

Rockhurst responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth, but a potential rally was cut short when the Knights gunned down a runner at the plate to end the inning. The Hawks plated just one run in spite of four base hits in the inning.

The host team trimmed the lead to just one run at 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth as they scored in pretty much the same way Bellarmine scored its fourth run: a leadoff double followed by a ground out to advance the runner and a wild pitch.

The Knights ended the scoring in the top of the seventh as again Stamper provided the RBI, this time with a single to left.

Marlee Tevis, who was on in relief of Madeline Kurtz, allowed a leadoff single, but retired the next three batters to pick up her second save of the year as Kurtz was a winner for the second time this year.

Stamper finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Tevis was 1-for-3 at the plate with one run batted in.

GAME 2: BU 5, RU 6 (14 innings) (HTM BOX SCORE)

Scoring was in short supply in game two as the Knights tallied one run in the top of the third on a Melissa Hammer single and added another run in the fifth when Erica Knollman connected for a solo homer to give Bellarmine a 2-0 lead.

The Hawks came back to tie the score in the bottom of the sixth, banging out three base hits and taking advantage of a wild pitch.

Then the offenses of both teams were stymied for the next eight innings. However, as the game entered the 14th inning, the scoring exploded. First, the Knights struck for three runs as Hammer led off with single. Then, Tevis and Stamper delivered back-to-back doubles, and the Knights took a 4-2 lead. Ciara Incorvati then plated Stamper with a single to put Bellarmine up by three.

Rockhurst, however, dug in and came out swinging in the bottom of the 14th, connecting for four consecutive base hits-including two doubles-to tie the score at 5-5. After a sacrifice bunt advanced the Rockhurst runner to third, the Hawks got a hit to right side of the infield to capture the comeback victory.

The Knights' offense, which produced 16 base hits, was paced by Tevis, Knollman and Rachel Fox with three hits apiece.

Kurtz went the distance in the circle for the Knights, but came away with the loss.