LOUISVILLE, Ky.—For the second straight day, the Bellarmine softball team split a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader at Knights Field.  Today, the Knights took game one over Wisconsin-Parkside 4-0 behind a two-hitter by sophomore Sabrina Fussenegger but dropped game two by a final score of 3-1.
 
In addition to posting a dominant pitching performance, Fussenegger also played a role in the Bellamine offense in game one.  After Miranda Mader drew a one-out walk in the third, Fussenegger delivered a slicing line drive to right field that just barely stayed in fair territory, going for a double and putting runners and second and third with just one out.  Freshman Alexa Foster then smacked a clean single up the middle to plate both Mader and Fussenegger.
 
The two-run lead was more than enough for Fussenegger as just three Ranger batters reached base against the sophomore right hander.  Of the three runners who reached base, none hit the ball out of the infield with a bunt single, an infield single and a walk issued after an eight-pitch at-bat accounting for the three Ranger runners.
 
Bellarmine went on to add two insurance runs. Allison Woosley lifted a sacrifice fly to score Marlee Tevis in the fourth, and Tevis provided the RBI an inning later, doubling home Lillie Nitzken.
 
Foster and Samantha Smith had two hits apiece to lead Bellarmine at the plate in the first game as the Knights totaled eight hits.
 
In the second game, Wisconsin-Parkside got hot late and plated two runs on four hits in the top of the seventh to break a 1-1 tie then held off the Knights in the bottom of the seventh to pick up the win.
 
The Rangers scored the game's first run in the fourth, manufacturing the score with timely hitting and a well-executed sacrifice.
 
The Knights came back to tie it in the fifth. Katie Stamper and Woosley smacked back-to-back singles then Mader laid down a text-book sacrifice bunt to advance the runners. Fussenegger then walked to load the bases. Foster again came through with runners in scoring position, hitting a single to right field. Stamper scored easily, but Woosley was cut down at the plate trying to score from second.
 
Bellarmine threatened again in the sixth, but stranded runners at first and second to set up Parkside's seventh inning victory.
 
In game two, the Knights recorded six hits with Stamper providing half of those on a 3-for-3 performance at the plate.
 
The Knights move to 12-18 on the season with a 3-9 GLVC record. The Rangers remain .500 both in conference and out with a 16-16, 7-7 GLVC mark.
 
The Knights will play on Monday at Kentucky Wesleyan in a doubleheader that was rescheduled from March 13 due to weather.
 
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HTM BOX SCORE GAME 1
 
HTM BOX SCORE GAME 2