LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Evan McNair shifted from a starting pitcher to a reliever after his sophomore season, but on Sunday the senior right-hander essentially returned to his old role for the Bellarmine University baseball team.

And he excelled at it, too, to put the Knights in position for what turned into an exhilarating comeback in the second contest that led to a four-game series sweep of McKendree for BU in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

McNair tossed 6.1 effective innings of long relief and Drew Greenwood capped a comeback from a 4-0 deficit with a go-ahead RBI single in a 6-5 victory in the tail end of a doubleheader that followed Michael Messier's commanding start on the mound in a 5-1 win in the opener.

Sophomore left fielder Griffin Neuer and senior third baseman Cole Metcalfe terrorized McKendee (10-17, 2-6 GLVC) offensively for Bellarmine (13-13, 5-3), which also swept four games from the Bearcats last season. The Knights' Nos. 2 and 3 hitters combined for nine hits and seven RBIs on Sunday.

There was no shortage of standouts for Bellarmine, although the weekend appeared headed toward a sour ending when McKendree took a 4-0 lead in the third inning in the finale. Enter McNair (1-2), who allowed a single run over 6.1 innings pitched and ultimately earned the win.

McNair had not thrown more than 2.0 innings this season. It was his longest outing since throwing 6.2 frames against Wisconsin-Parkside in late April of 2014 when he was a member of the starting rotation. In his last five relief appearances, McNair yielded a single run.

With McNair holding the Bearcats' offense at bay, Bellarmine began chipping away at the four-run hole. With two outs in the third, Metcalfe punched an RBI single through the right side and junior first baseman Nick Wright followed by rifling an RBI single to center.

McKendree scored its lone run off McNair in the fifth, but Bellarmine got it back when sophomore second baseman Trevor Lines doubled down the line and came home on Metcalfe's sacrifice fly.

Bellarmine tied it at 5-5 in the seventh with more clutch two-out hitting. Neuer whipped a double down the left-field line that deflected off the outstretched glove of McKendree's diving third baseman, and Lines scored all the way from first. Metcalfe then roped a single to left on a 1-2 count, and Neuer made a superb slide to elude the catcher's tag and score the tying run.

Bellarmine took its first lead in the eighth. Freshman right fielder Zac Wiley led off by ripping a single to center and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore catcher Brady Pfaadt. Greenwood then laced a single to left, and Wiley slid home with the go-ahead run after the relay throw glanced off his back. McNair finished off the win by setting the Bearcats down in order for the third straight inning.

In the finale, Metcalfe was 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Neuer added two hits, two runs scored and an RBI, and Wiley had a pair of hits.

Messier (4-3) shut down McKendree in the first game. The junior left-hander earned the win after not allowing an earned run in a 7.0-inning complete game while collecting six strikeouts against one walk and four hits. It was Messier's second complete game this season. He's struck out 45 against only seven walks.

Bellarmine jumped on McKendree for four runs in the first inning, with the Bearcats committing an error on leadoff man Jes Staples' ground ball to set the tone. BU's senior center fielder stole second and scored when Neuer slammed a double to right. Metcalfe also pounded the right-field wall on a two-bagger to score Neuer before being driven in by Wiley. Greenwood followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0.

Bellarmine added its fifth run in the fourth when Staples fired a triple down the right-field line and came home on Neuer's base hit. Staples moved into sole possession of fifth on BU's all-time career triples list with 10.

Neuer was 3 for 4 with two RBIs in the first contest, and Metcalfe added two hits.

Bellarmine plays a non-conference doubleheader at Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday.

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