LEBANON, Ill.—The Bellarmine offense had been practically non-existent over the first 13 innings of the doubleheader at McKendree today, but the Knights' bats woke up just in time to pull out a 1-0 victory in game two to salvage a split in the Great Lakes Valley Conference twin bill at Bearcat Field today.
After a solo homer by McKendree left fielder Liz Klussman in the bottom of the fifth inning lifted the Bearcats to a 2-1 victory in the opener, Bellarmine's
Katie Stamper came through in the clutch in game two with a two-out double to left center in the top of the seventh to drive in the only run of the game.
With their second straight doubleheader split, the Knights are now 15-19 on the season, 3-7 in conference play. The Bearcats move to 18-13 overall with a 5-5 GLVC record.
Today's doubleheader was originally scheduled to be played Sunday, but was moved ahead two days in attempt to avoid rainy weather. The Knights return to action tomorrow in their regularly-scheduled games at Illinois Springfield.
GAME 1: McK 2, BU 1 (
HTM BOX SCORE)
After the Knights squandered a golden scoring opportunity with runners on second and third with just one out in the top of the second, the Bearcats put the first run on the board in the bottom of the third when leadoff batter Jamie Doggendorf singled then stole second. That stolen base proved pivotal after Brooke Gajewski singled Doggendorf home for a 1-0 lead.
The Knights again left a runner stranded at third base in the fourth inning, but in the fifth Bellarmine finally took advantage of a scoring opportunity. Center fielder
Melissa Hammer led off with a double and was sacrificed to third on bunt by
Kelly Ely.
Erica Knollman then rapped a hard grounder to third that the McKendree fielder couldn't handle and Hammer scampered home with the tying run.
The Bellarmine lead was short-lived, however, as Klussman came up with her eventual game-winning homer in the home half of the fifth.
GAME 2: BU 1, McK 0
(HTM BOX SCORE)
With three total runs scored, game one looked like a slugfest compared to the pitcher's duel of game two. The Knights'
Sabrina Fussenegger recorded the complete game shutout, but McKendree's Kylee Silliman had a no-hitter through five innings.
In fact, Fussenegger—who surrendered five hits and issued just two walks—had to pitch out of a jam in the fourth. After walking a batter on four straight pitches to load the bases, she got Paige Fleeman to fly out in foul ground to end the inning.
The Knights, meanwhile, did not even put a runner on base until
Ciara Incorvati drew a walk in the top of the fifth. Bellarmine finally broke through for its first hit in the sixth when Stamper led off with an infield single. Two batters later
Marley Edwards connected for a single to center, but the would-be rally stalled with a par of grounders.
Fussenegger had another scare in the bottom of the sixth when Megan Radae smacked a two-out triple to left, but the freshman pitcher escaped with no damage when the following batter lined out to left.
The top of seventh opened innocently enough with Bellarmine's first two batters being retired. Then,
Olivia Russell came through with a single to left center. Next,
Marlee Tevis struck out, but instead of being the last out of the inning, the third strike came on wild pitch as Tevis reached first base safely and Russell moved up to second. Stamper then followed with her game-winning double to left center.
Fussenegger retired the Bearcats in order in the bottom of the seventh to record her seventh victory in the circle this year. On the day, Fussenegger pitched all 13 innings for the Knights giving up just two earned runs while allowing 12 hits and four walks.
For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights), Facebook (BUKnights) and the BUKnights mobile app available for iPhone and Android.
