HUNTSVILLE, Ala.—The Bellarmine Knights rolled to a pair of victories on day one of the Charger Chillout 2.0 hosted by the University of Alabama-Huntsville at the Kiwanis Sportsplex. In their opening game, the Knights dispatched Mississippi College 10-2 before crushing Miles College 15-0 in the nightcap.
GAME 1: BU 10, Mississippi College 2 (
HTM BOX SCORE)
The Knights got to play their first game in temperatures above 50 degrees, and the better weather seemed to heat up the Bellarmine bats as BU banged out 10 runs on 10 hits in just four at-bats.
The middle of the lineup was particularly effective for Coach
Renee Hicks with the "3" through "6" hitters combining to go for 9-for-11 with seven runs scored and six RBIs.
Lillie Nitzken and
Paige Dabney each went 3-for-3 with Nitzken scoring three times and Dabney scoring twice while driving in three.
Marlee Tevis was 2-for-3 with a run scored and another run driven in.
Rachel Ayer, hitting in the No. 6 spot, was 1-for-2 with two runs scored. She also drove in a pair of runs with her first homer of the season.
The Choctaws plated the first run in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly following a triple to right center by Katherine Lee.
The Knights answered with three in the bottom half of the inning. Bellarmine's first five batters reached base with Tevis and Dabney driving in runs with singles and
Miranda Mader plated Nitzken with a grounder.
After a scoreless second, Mississippi College climbed within 3-2 in the top of the third, again scoring by way of the sac fly.
Bellarmine exploded for four runs in the third with Nitzken, Tevis, Dabney and Ayer all reaching base safely to open the inning. The Knights then drove in runs on back-to-back sacrifice flies, and a Choctaw error allowed the fourth run of the inning to cross the plate as the Knights took a 7-2 lead.
Starting pitcher
Sabrina Fussenegger retired the Mississippi College batters in order in the top of the fourth, and the Knights extended the lead to eight in the bottom half. Ayer supplied the big blow with a two-run homer.
The Choctaws got a leadoff single in the fifth, but Fussenegger induced three straight outs to close out the game and pick up her first pitching victory of the season.
GAME 2: Bellarmine 15, Miles 0 (
HTM BOX SCORE)
Starting pitcher
Madeline Kurtz hurled a no-hitter for the Knights, and unfortunately for the Bears, the BU offense also was clicking along. To make matters worse, Miles committed five errors to help fuel the Knights' offense.
Bellarmine rapped out 12 hits in just four innings as nine different Knights recorded base hits. Leading the hit parade were
Alexa Foster, Tevis, and Ayer with two apiece.
After plating a run in the first inning, the Knights broke the game wide open with six runs in each of the second and third innings before closing out the game's scoring with two in the fourth.
Meanwhile Kurtz was humming along and finished the game allowing just three baserunners. Final numbers for Kurtz were five innings pitched with no hits while issuing one walk and hitting one batter.
The victory evens the Bellarmine record to 2-2 on the season. The Knights complete play in the Charger Chillout tomorrow with games against North Alabama and Tuskegee.
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