LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University baseball team has exhibited plenty of power this season, and Wednesday's doubleheader against Lincoln Memorial at Knights Field only added to the display.
Senior first baseman
Tyler Neeley smashed a two-run walk-off homer to propel Bellarmine to a 7-5 victory in the opener before senior right fielder
Zac Wiley crushed a go-ahead three-run homer in the tail end as the Knights completed the sweep with an 8-4 win.
In addition to the home runs, Bellarmine (15-12) tallied three doubles in the first game and four in the second against nonconference opponent Lincoln Memorial (23-11). This was a critical sweep for the Knights as the Railsplitters had won 12 of 13 games entering the twin bill, which consisted of two seven-inning games.
Game 1: Bellarmine 7, Lincoln Memorial 5
Bellarmine trailed 5-0 after the top of the fifth, but the Knights scored three in the bottom half and added another run in the sixth to trail 5-4.
Wiley began the seventh by ripping a double to left center. Junior pinch runner
John Millay then made a nice slide at home to score the tying run on a single by junior third baseman
Deylen Miley.
After a strikeout, Neeley blistered a 2-1 pitch to right center that soared over the fence for a walk-off two-run homer. It was his sixth long ball of the season.
Miley and sophomore left fielder
Matt Higgins both had RBI singles in a three-run fifth that got Bellarmine's comeback bid started. Senior center fielder
Alex Phillips added an RBI single in the sixth to get the Knights within one run. Senior second baseman
Derek Burns doubled in both those innings.
Burns went 3 for 3 while Phillips, Higgins and Miley had two hits apiece.
Junior right-hander
Anthony Ethington (4-0) earned the win after pitching a scoreless seventh and striking out two. Freshman right-hander
Reece Davis preceded him by fanning three in 1.2 scoreless innings of relief.
Game 2: Bellarmine 8, Lincoln Memorial 4
Bellarmine jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Lincoln Memorial tied it at 4-all in the top of the fourth.
The Knights hammered the first three pitches they saw in the bottom half. On those successive pitches, Phillips singled to left, Higgins doubled to left and Wiley punished a go-ahead three-run homer to left for his eighth round-tripper of the season.
Bellarmine added one more run in the frame when junior catcher
Chris Gambert and sophomore shortstop
Clayton Mehlbauer pulled off a double steal, and Gambert raced home after the throw to third was muffed.
Freshman right-hander
Matt Craven (1-0) earned his first collegiate win. Senior right-hander
Ethan Cleary, freshman left-hander
Nick Parrish and sophomore right-hander
Brandon Pfaadt all tossed 1.0 scoreless inning of relief. Pfaadt fanned a pair.
Higgins and Mehlbauer both had three hits. Higgins smacked an RBI double and Mehlbauer and Miley both had RBI singles in Bellarmine's three-run first. Wiley laced an RBI single in the second. He, Miley and Phillips all had two hits as the Knights accumulated 13 for the game. Wiley racked up four RBIs.
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GAME 1 BOX SCORE (HTM)
GAME 2 BOX SCORE (HTM)
