LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader it hosted with Cedarville University at Knights Field on Monday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets, last year's Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) regular season champions, took the opener 7-0 and held off the Knights 5-3 in game two.
Bellarmine slips to 5-7 on the year while Cedarville evens its record at 2-2. The Knights return to action on Saturday with a doubleheader at Kentucky State.
GAME 1: Cedarville 7, Bellarmine 0
The visiting Yellow Jackets swarmed all over the Knights in the opener, getting a big game from sophomore right fielder Jessica Steger.
Standing just 5-2, Steger isn't big in stature, but certainly swung a big bat for the Yellow Jackets. The left-hander ripped a double high off the fence in right to drive in a pair of runs and stake Cedarville to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. The lead grew to 4-0 an inning later as the Yellow Jackets engineered a pair of runs after two leadoff singles.
Meanwhile, the Knights' offense was struggling, going hitless in the first two and two-thirds innings. When Bellarmine finally managed a base hit, the play ended in the last out of the third inning as
Lillie Nitzken smacked a clean single to right field, but
Sabrina Fussenegger—who had gotten aboard by way of a walk—tried to score from second and was cut down at the plate.
Cedarville extended the margin to 7-0 in the top of sixth with Steger again providing the big blow—a two-run homer to the opposite field.
Bellarmine tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh as
Paige Werner opened with a bunt single and
Ciara Incorvati laced a double down the left field line. However, after adding a walk, the Knights left the bases loaded as Cedarville hung on for the shutout victory.
GAME 2: Cedarville 5, Bellarmine 3
After the Yellow Jackets claimed an early lead in the first inning, the Knights broke through for their first runs of the day and took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second as
Allison Woosley singled home
Rachel Ayer and
Marlee Tevis.
The Bellarmine lead was brief, however, as the Yellow Jackets rallied with two outs in the third inning to plate a pair of runs on a double by Kara Eiginger as the visitors reclaimed the lead 3-2.
Cedarville extended the margin to 5-2 the next inning as Steger struck again, rifling a two-run homer down the right field line.
Bellarmine cut into the Cedarville lead in the sixth inning as Alexis Foster singled to lead off the frame and came around to score on a base hit by Tevis.
However, that was as close as the Knights could get at both team were retired in order in the seventh inning to close the game.
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