LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine softball team celebrated its four seniors--Kaitlin Barbiere, Lillie Nitzken, Katie Stamper and Marlee Tevis--prior to today's Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader against Missouri-St. Louis on Sunday at Knights Field.

Unfortunately, the celebration didn't extend into the games as Bellarmine ended its 2018 season by suffering a sweep as the Tritons won a pair of one-run games, 1-0 and 6-5.
 
Game one saw all of its scoring occur on the second at-bat of the game when UMSL's Jennah Perryman belted a solo homer to left center.
 
Bellarmine managed just four hits off Triton hurler Carly Kingery, with two of the four coming off the bat of Barbiere. Nitzken also collected a hit with Alexa Foster accounting for BU's only extra-base hit, a double off the center field fence in the fourth inning.
 
Knights' pitcher Sabrina Fussenegger had a solid outing giving up just six hits and issuing no walks in going the full seven innings.
 
Game two couldn't have begun much better for the Knights.  Missouri-St. Louis went three up and three down in the first, while the first three Bellarmine batters reached base safely. 

Rachel Ayer led off with a crisp single between short and third.  Allison Woosley then laid down a near-perfect bunt that went for a single, and Nitzken got hit by a pitch to load the bases. After a pop-up, Tevis stroked a single down the left field line to plate the first run of the game. Catcher Ciara Incorvati then drew bases-loaded walk to force in the Knights' second run of the inning.
 
Bellarmine extended its lead to 3-0 in the second.  Barbiere led off the frame by ripping a double to right center and later scored on a single by Nitzken.
 
Missouri-St. Louis was held in check by starting pitcher Alexis Sumner over the first four innings, but control problems and a fielding error loaded the bases in the fifth.  After a pitching change, another walk was issued to score a run and back-to-back singles tied the game 3-3.  After Bellarmine finally recorded two outs on a short fly ball to right and a fielder's choice on a come-backer to the pitcher, another single scored two more runs.  When the dust had settled on the fifth inning, the Tritons had pulled ahead 5-3.
 
In the top of the sixth, UMSL added what turned out to be a very important insurance run with a sacrifice fly to left.

The Knights came charging back in the home half of the sixth as Fussenegger rifled a double to left center to lead off the inning. Two outs later, Woosley walked the Nitzken fired a shot over the right fielder that went for a double and drove in two more runs to pull Bellarmine within one run at 6-5.
 
After the Tritons went down in order in the top of the seventh, the Knights had one last chance. Incorvati doubled to put a runner in scoring position, but Bellarmine couldn't take advantage as Missouri-St. Louis hung on for the win.
 
Bellarmine outhit the Tritons 10-7 in game two, but the Knights stranded nine baserunners to just four for UMSL.
 
The Knights end the season 16-30 with a 7-21 mark in the GLVC.  With the sweep, the Tritons snap a five-game losing skid and improve to 30-20, 17-11 GLVC.
 
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HTM BOX SCORE GAME 1
 
HTM BOX SCORE GAME 2