LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jes Staples has stated that he measures his performance most by his results in the late innings of a tight game.

On Saturday at Knights Field in the second game of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader with Saint Joseph's, the Bellarmine University senior center fielder surely must have given himself a favorable grade after crushing a tying three-run homer in the final inning. Zac Wiley followed by barely beating out a two-out infield single as the winning run crossed the plate in a 5-4 victory that sent the Knights to a split following their 4-3 loss to the Pumas in the opener.

Both Bellarmine (15-15, 6-4 GLVC) and Saint Joseph's (18-14, 6-4) experienced the exhilaration of a late comeback and the disappointment of letting a seeming victory slip away.

For Bellarmine, the joy came in the second game. The Knights trailed 4-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh and final inning as Ben Spieldenner entered to pitch for Saint Joseph's. Things immediately started well for BU as sophomore catcher Brady Pfaadt drilled a double to left center, and sophomore second baseman Trevor Lines poked a single to right.

That set the stage for Staples, who unloaded on the first pitch and launched a three-run homer to right center. The game-tying shot was Staples' second of the season.

Kyle Estand (0-1) relieved Spieldenner and came into the game with a 1.59 ERA, but Bellarmine continued its push. With one out, senior third baseman Cole Metcalfe rapped a single up the middle then advanced to second on a ground out and to third on a balk.

Freshman right fielder Zac Wiley was saddled with a 1-2 count when he chopped a grounder deep down the third-base line. Joshua Handzik fielded the ball cleanly and made a strong throw, but Wiley beat it by a hair. At the same time, Metcalfe crossed the plate with the winning run.

Pfaadt was 3 for 3 in game two and Lines was 2 for 3. Senior right-hander John Hakemoller (1-0) relieved sophomore left-hander Hunter Spencer with two outs in the seventh, recorded the third out and collected the victory.

In the opener, Bellarmine senior left-hander Austin Warner and Saint Joseph's Zachary Aring engaged in a pitcher's duel. There was no scoring and very little solid contact through five innings.

Bellarmine broke through with two runs in the sixth, helped by a St. Joe's error starting off the frame. Staples capitalized with an RBI double down the first-base line, and he scored on a throwing error.

The Knights maintained a 2-0 lead until the Pumas tied it in the eighth on a two-run double by Handzik. The scored then remained the same until Cam Curry lifted a two-run homer in the 12th for St. Joe's.

A Staples double set up a Metcalfe RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-3, but Metcalfe was stranded at second as the Pumas closed out the win behind reliever Kevin Forde (3-0).

Staples and Wiley had two hits apiece in the first game. Warner allowed two earned runs in 8.0 innings pitched.

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