LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine softball team made its home debut today, besting Kentucky Wesleyan 2-1 before falling 8-4 in extra innings to Findlay in game two today at Knights Field.
BELLARMINE 2, KWC 1
HTM BOX SCORE
The Knights, which moved to an even 3-3 on the season, cut down two KWC runners at the plate to help preserve the slim one-run win in the opener.
Bellarmine did all of its damage in the first inning.
Rachel Fox ripped a double to left center to open the frame and scored when Panther first baseman Courtney Lockwood couldn't handle a throw on
Melissa Hammer's bunt. The Knights would go on to load the bases, and
Katie Stamper delivered a sacrifice fly to deep left field to give Bellarmine a 2-0 lead.
Kentucky Wesleyan's Lexi Mullen hit a rocket to center field to open the second inning and after Hammer took step in the ball sailed over her head for a stand up double. On the next play, Stamper and Hammer collided on a routine fly ball, and KWC's Courtney Lockwood reached first base safely while Mullen advanced to third.
After a sacrifice bunt that advanced Lockwood, but not Mullen, Mallory Nease hit a sharp grounder to shortstop and BU's
Erica Knollman fielded it cleanly and gunned down Mullen at the plate. Jamie Tempel then smoked a double to center field that scored Lockwood easily, but Hammer chased down the ball at the center field fence and fired to Knollman who relayed the throw to catcher Ciari Incorvati, and the Knights recorded their second out of the inning at home plate. Bellarmine pitcher
Alexis Sumner then induced a pop up to get out of the inning.
Sumner then pitched her way out of jams in the third and the sixth to help preserve the win. In both of those innings, Sumner faced runners on second and third with just one out, and both times recorded back to back strikeouts to get out of trouble. The freshman from Hopkinsville allowed just five hits and two walks in picking up the complete game victory.
In addition to throwing out two runners at the plate, Knollman paced the Knights offensively by going 3-for-3 against the Panthers.
FINDLAY 8, BELLARMINE 4 (8 innings)
HTM BOX SCORE
The visiting Oilers opened the game with bang as center fielder Destinie Keeton uncorked a shot over the left center field fence to stake Findlay to a 1-0 lead. After escaping a little more trouble in the opening frame, the Knights went three up and three down in the home half of the first.
Then to open the top of the second, Findlay's Madison Arnold led off with a solo shot that was practically a carbon copy of Keeton's blast to left center. The Knights'
Sabrina Fussenegger came on in relief, and the change of pace worked as the freshman right hander recorded the final three outs of the inning.
Bellarmine came back in the bottom of the third with a two-out rally. With
Megan Bretz aboard, Fox doubled her home, then advanced to third when Findlay misplayed a ball of the bat of Hammer. With runners on the corners, Bellarmine Coach
Renee Hicks gave Hammer the steal sign, and she swiped second base, and Findlay tried to cut her down, allowing Fox to score. Incorvati then singled home Hammer to give the Knights a 3-2 lead.
The scored remained the same until the top of the seventh when a pair of singles and a pair of ground balls led to a run by the Oilers to knot the score at 3-3.
The Knights threatened in the bottom of the seventh, but an inning-ending double play quashed the Bellarmine rally.
Playing the international tiebreaker rule with a runner starting on second base, the game unraveled for the Knights in the eighth inning as Findlay plated five runs on just four hits despite a nifty 6-2-5 double play turned in by the Knights.
In Bellarmine's last chance,
Marley Edwards came on to pinch run and was placed at second to start the inning. She came around to score after a ground out and a Findlay error, but the Knights didn't manage a hit as the Oilers completed the comeback victory.
Bretz went 3-for-4 in the loss for Bellarmine, and Stamper added a pair of hits as the Knights totaled just eight as a team for the game.
Bellarmine returns to action tomorrow against the same two teams, facing Findlay at 1 p.m. and Kentucky Wesleyan immediately after that game.
