LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine University softball team opened its 2019 season on a positive note, knocking off Ferris State 3-1 and getting past Findlay 6-1 in a pair of games at a sun-drenched Knights Field on Sunday afternoon.
After having to cancel games scheduled for Saturday due to wet field conditions caused by snow earlier in the week, Sunday's weather was a rare treat for February softball in Louisville with temperatures reaching the 70-degree mark.
And to coin a farming phrase, the Knights "made hay while the sun was high," winning both games in wire-to-wire fashion. While Bellarmine's offense didn't provide a lot of firepower, the Knights played great "small ball," by manufacturing runs with aggressive base-running and clutch sacrifice hitting.
In fact, Bellarmine produced just one hit against Ferris State but turned all three Bulldog-issued bases on balls into runs to secure the win.
The Knights' first two batters of the game—
Grace Werner and
Sabrina Fussenegger—drew walks and, after FSU retired the next two hitters,
Allison Woosley hit a rocket to dead center that screamed over the center fielder for a stand-up double that easily drove in the game's first two runs.
The Knights then tacked on a run in the third inning when Werner again led off the inning by drawing a walk. She then stole second and was advanced to third on Fussenegger's sacrifice bunt. Werner scampered home when
Hannah Webb followed with yet another successful bunt.
With a 3-0 lead, Bellarmine then relied on solid defense and pitching to get the win.
Madeline Kurtz started in the circle for the Knights and went five-plus innings while surrendering just one run and three hits. Freshman
Sydney Oskin came on in relief and worked the final two innings without allowing a hit to pick up the save.
Against Findlay, the Knights continued to take advantage of free passes issued by opposing pitching.
In a near carbon-copy of the first game, Werner opened the bottom of the first by drawing a walk, and Fussenegger followed by getting hit by a pitch. Webb then moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt. Woosley followed, but instead of swinging away, she also put down a bunt. The Findlay pitcher fielded the ball cleanly, but had no shot at throwing out Werner at home. Instead, she opted to try and get Woosley at first, but her throw got past the first baseman which allowed Fussenegger to score all the way from second base on the play.
The Oilers trimmed the Bellarmine margin to 2-1 with an unearned run in the top of the fourth, but the Knights answered in the home half of the inning.
Natalie Magnus opened with a double to the power alley in right center.
Kaleigh Oskin came on to pinch run, and she scored on a Fussenegger single.
Bellarmine added two more runs in the fifth as the Knights took advantage of poor decisions by the Findlay defense, and
Rachel Ayer closed the game's scoring in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double.
Fussenegger went the distance in the circle for the Knights to pick up the win, scattering six hits and not allowing an earned run.
Bellarmine now hits the road for an extended period, playing in events in Alabama, Indiana and Georgia before traveling to Lee University in Tennessee. The Knights don't play at home again until March 9 when they host Kentucky State in a doubleheader.
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FERRIS STATE BOX SCORE (HTM)
FINDLAY BOX SCORE (HTM)
