LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine University softball team salvaged a split with visiting William Jewell College in today's Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader at Knights field by pulling out game two 7-6 in nine innings after dropping the opener 4-2.
Bellarmine's exciting win came when
Rachel Fox scored from third on a grounder to the shortstop. Going on contact, Fox got caught in rundown briefly but was able to avoid the tag of catcher Gabby Brown and dove to the plate with the winning run.
The Cardinals forced the extra innings by scoring twice in the top of the seventh after trailing 6-4 entering the final inning of regulation. A potential go-ahead run by William Jewell was cut down at the plate as the Knights staved off a safety-squeeze bunt play with one out in the inning.
Bellarmine had built its lead primarily off the bat of
Katie Stamper, who provided five of the Knights' seven RBIs with a 3-run homer and a pair of sacrifice flies. Fox scored two of BU's seven runs and had two hits in the game as did freshmen
Rachel Ayer and
Paige Dabney.
In the opener, pitcher
Sabrina Fussenegger turned in a solid performance for the Knights, but Cardinal center fielder Madi Giles came through in the clutch for the visitors. The left-handed junior cracked a two-run homer to open the game's scoring in the fifth inning, then came back an inning later and drilled double to left center to score two more.
Meanwhile, the Knights outhit William Jewell 9-7 in game one, but let seven runners standed.
Kelly Ely, who was credited with the game-winning RBI in the second game, also drove in a a run in the opener.
Marlee Tevis went 2-for-2 with an RBI in the first game as Ayer and
Melissa Hammer also posted two base knocks in the game.
The Knights move to 13-15 overall with a 1-3 mark in the GLVC. The Cardinals are now 9-11 with a 2-2 conference record.
Bellarmine now hits the road for its next 10 games, starting with doubleheaders this coming weekend at Missouri S&T and Drury.
GAME 1 HTM BOX SCORE
GAME 2 HTM BOX SCORE
