LEBANON, Ill.—Bellarmine University rode the strength of the long ball and solid pitching to sweep the McKendree Bearcats in a Great Lakes Valley Conference baseball doubleheader today at Hypes Field as the Knights posted 4-3 and 6-3 wins.
In the opener, all four of Bellarmine's runs came via the home run with
Josh Finerty blasting a solo shot to lead off the second inning and
Brady Pfaadt smashing a 3-run homer in the fourth.
Meanwhile, Bellarmine's pitching didn't allow any Bearcat hits to leave the yard as
Duncan Amrein and
Will Birch combined to surrender just six hits while issuing no walks in the seven-inning game.
All three runs were charged to the freshman Amrein, who went five and a third innings to pick up his second win of the season. Birch allowed just one hit and worked the final one and two-thirds to collect his first save of the year.
Pfaadt and Finerty each had two hits as the duo combined to tally four of the Knights' six hits in the opener.
In the second game,
Zac Wiley and
Bobby Brokamp teamed up to amass half of Bellarmine's 10 hits. Wiley, who leads the GLVC in hitting with a .460 average, actually improved on that torrid pace by going 3-for-4 while driving in three and scoring twice. Brokamp was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a run driven in.
On the hill,
Alex Phillips went five and two-thirds, giving up three runs on six hits while striking out six. The sophomore southpaw picked up the win to run his record to 3-0 on the season.
Kyle Beach and
Yancey Pritchett also turned in solid relief appearances. Beach worked an inning and a third without allowing a run while Pritchett pitched the final two innings and allowed just two baserunners in picking up the save.
The Knights improve to 18-10 overall and sit atop the GLVC East standings with a 6-2 league record. McKendree falls to 8-18 and 0-8 in conference play.
Bellarmine steps out of the GLVC to host Kentucky Wesleyan in the Knights' next action. Bellarmine hosts the Panthers in a doubleheader on Tuesday with game times scheduled for 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
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HTM BOX SCORE GAME 1
HTM BOX SCORE GAME 2
