LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine softball team split a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon with the visiting Truman State Bulldogs with both games going one extra inning.

Ironically, both games featured come-from-behind victories for the winners.  The Bulldogs made a late rally to tie the Knights in the first game, then went on to post a 5-3 victory.  In the second contest, Bellarmine trailed 6-1 before battling back and winning 7-6 in thrilling fashion as junior catcher Rachel Ayer blasted a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to provide the winning run.
 
The split moves Bellarmine to 14-17 overall and 3-7 in the GLVC while TSU moves to 16-7 (4-6, GLVC).
 
The Knights return to action tomorrow at noon when they'll host Quincy in another GLVC twin bill.  The Hawks split with league-leader Southern Indiana on Sunday.
 
GAME 1:  TSU 5, BU 3  (HTM BOX SCORE)

The opener was a frustrating game for the Knights as they had trouble scoring runs despite having plenty of baserunners. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs had just two hits through the first six innings but trailed just 2-1 heading into the last (scheduled) inning.
 
In the top of the seventh, Truman drew a one-out walk then Brooke VunCannon drilled a double to left center to put runners on second and third with just one out.  The Bulldogs got the tying run on a sacrifice fly and the Knights got out of the inning when the next batter also flew out to left field.
 
The Knights' scoring frustrations were illustrated in the bottom of the seventh when Bellarmine loaded the bases with no outs but couldn't get a run home. 
 
Truman State made two quick outs in the top of the eighth, but a Bellarmine error allowed the Bulldogs to extend the inning. The visitors took full advantage by hitting back to back homers to take a 5-2 lead.
 
The Knights managed to plate one run on a single by Samantha Smith in the bottom of the eighth, but Truman held on for the 5-3 victory.
 
Smith and Ayer paced the Bellarmine offense with two hits apiece in the first game as the Knights totaled seven hits but left 13 runners on base as the Bulldog pitching staff issued nine free passes (five walks and four hit batters).

Sabrina Fussenegger pitched a solid game for Bellarmine, surrendering just five hits and two earned runs in eight innings.
 
GAME 2: BU 7, TSU 6 (HTM BOX SCORE)
 
Just as the Knights saw a victory slip away in the first game, the Bulldogs had the same unpleasant experience in game two.
 
Truman State cruised to a 6-1 lead over the first four innings, but Bellarmine reliever Olivia Knies found her groove, and the Knights' offense finally started getting some breaks.  Bellarmine had runners and second and third with two outs in the fifth when a Truman State error extended the inning and allowed a run to score. Then, Kaleigh Oskin hit a screamer that just barley stayed fair just beyond first base and went for a double to drive in two, trimming the TSU lead to just 6-4.
 
The Bulldogs went relatively quietly in the top of the sixth, and the Knights again took advantage of a Truman State error to close the gap to 6-5 in the home half of the sixth. Smith hit a two-out double and Ayer followed by getting hit by a pitch. Smith then made a heads up base running play by pulling off a stolen base, scoring when the throw got away from the third baseman.
 
Truman State threatened in the top of the seventh, but came away empty. With runners at second and third and just one out, The Bulldogs tried to score on a fly ball to left field, but Allison Woosley uncorked a perfect throw to cut down the runner at the plate to end the inning and keep the score 6-5.
 
As in the first game, the Knights loaded with bases with no outs in the seventh inning as Fussenegger led off with an infield single and the TSU pitchers hit a batter and walked another.  Sydney Oskin then pinch hit and delivered a sacrifice fly to right to knot the score at six apiece. Bellarmine couldn't push across the game-winner however as a pop-up and line out ended the inning.
 
In the eighth, Truman State went three up and three down to bring up Bellarmine's hottest hitters. Although Smith grounded out to lead off the inning, Ayer came through in the clutch with a walk-off homer to left.
 
Offensive leaders in game two for the Knights were Smith, Ayer, Fussenegger and Kaleigh Oskin with two hits apiece.  Aside from Ayer's homer, the Knights had four other RBIs with the Oskin sisters accounted for all of them.  Kaleigh drove in three while Sydney provided one with her sac fly.
 
Knies picks up her fourth win of the season after a solid relief outing that saw her go seven innings, giving up just three earned runs and four base hits.