LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Alex Phillips tossed a gem and Matt Higgins and Zac Wiley spearheaded an impressive performance at the plate Monday as the Bellarmine University baseball team closed its series with visiting Maryville in strong fashion by posting a 10-1 victory in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

Bellarmine (17-13, 8-7 GLVC) captured two of the three games against Maryville (12-15, 9-6) and racked up 47 total hits in the series, including 15 in Monday's contest. The Knights have reached double-digits in the hit column in nine straight games.

Bellarmine held a 2-0 lead after four innings, but the Knights really took command after a four-run fifth in which they boosted their advantage to 6-0. That was plenty of run support for Phillips (2-0), a senior left-hander who threw superbly over 8.0 innings, allowing one unearned run on five hits with six strikeouts. Sophomore right-hander Brandon Pfaadt sealed it up with 1.0 scoreless inning of relief.

The red-hot Higgins led off the game with a double and scored on a wild pitch. In the third, he singled, stole second and scored on a two-out RBI single by Wiley. Higgins went 4 for 5 with four runs scored and has now amassed multiple hits in six consecutive games.

Wiley, the veteran, put on a clinic of two-strike hitting with runners on base. The senior right fielder had two strikes against him all three times that he ripped sharp singles. In addition to the third, Wiley had an RBI single in the fifth and a two-run single in the eighth. He finished 3 for 5 with four RBIs. The All-Region outfielder extended his hitting streak to 19.

The fifth was a crucial inning for Bellarmine. Along with Wiley's run-scoring hit, senior second baseman Trevor Lines smacked an RBI single and junior third baseman Deylen Miley cracked an RBI double. Higgins' RBI single in the sixth bumped the lead to 7-0 before Maryville broke up the shutout by scoring an unearned run in the eighth.

Lines was 2 for 3 with a double, three runs scored and an RBI. Sophomore shortstop Clayton Mehlbauer chipped in two hits, including a double.

Bellarmine hosts Indianapolis in a doubleheader starting at noon (ET) Wednesday.

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