HUNTSVILLE, Ala.—The Bellarmine Knights softball team opened its 2020 season by splitting a pair of games in Huntsville, Alabama.  Bellarmine fell 12-9 to the 18th-ranked Alabama-Huntsville Chargers in an exciting game that featured six home runs, but the Knights rebounded for a 12-1 victory over the Christian Brothers Buccaneers in six innings.
 
Bellarmine concludes its trip to Huntsville tomorrow with pair of games against West Georgia. The Wolves also split games on Friday, walloping Kentucky Wesleyan 15-2 before falling to Trevecca Nazarene 5-4.
 
GAME 1:  UAH 12, BU 9 (HTM BOX SCORE)
 
The game couldn't have started any better for the Knights as senior Sabrina Fussenegger led off and smacked the second pitch she saw over the center field fence for a quick 1-0 lead.  However, the high-powered offense of the Chargers stormed back with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 2-1 advantage.
 
The host Chargers essentially gave the Knights a run in the top of the second as three straight Bellarmine batters were hit by a pitch and Grace Werner drew a bases-loaded walk. Bellarmine pitcher Shelby Kelley kept UAH off the scoreboard in the second, and the Knights pulled ahead with a two-run third inning.  Freshman Alexis Hargrove started the frame with her first collegiate homer and Sydney Young stroked a double to center to plate pinch runner Anna Greenwell.
 
Unfortunately for the Knights, the Chargers revved up the offense again in the home half of the third and put up four runs to regain the lead, 6-4.
 
After a 3-up and 3-down top of the fourth, UAH added three more runs with the big blow being a two-run homer off the bat of Alaina Hampton.  The Charger catcher was a thorn in Bellarmine's side all game, finishing 4-for-4 with a pair of homers and five RBIs.
 
Trailing 9-4 heading into the sixth inning, the Knights rallied behind some clutch power hitting. Freshman Alyssa Brock led off with a pinch hit home run, and four batters later sophomore Hannah Webb connected for a 3-run shot.  Kelley and Hargrove then hit back-to-back doubles to tie the score at nine apiece.
 
However, the Chargers again had an answer, striking for three runs in the bottom of the sixth.  The Knights got a pair of baserunners in the top of the seventh but couldn't push across a run as UAH hung on for the win.
 
Hargrove finished the game 3-for-3 with a single, double, and homer while Young finished 2-for-2 while also drawing a walk and getting hit by a pitch.

GAME 2:  BU 12, CBU 1 (HTM BOX SCORE)
 
Three big innings and solid pitching sent the Knights to a relatively easy win over Christian Brothers in their second game of the day. 
 
Again, Bellarmine struck early with Kelley and Hargrove providing RBIs while a Christian Brothers error gave the Knights another run.  Hargrove's first hit in the game was a triple, which means she collected the cycle on the day as her first four hits as a collegian were a single, double, triple and homer. 
 
The Buccaneers responded with one run in the bottom half of the first as a leadoff walk proved costly when CBU's Mackenzie Puckett doubled home a run.
 
The Knights put together another big inning in the top of the second, plating four runs on five hits as Carley Ziegler and Webb knocked in one run each and Kelley driving in two with a double to right.
 
Bellarmine starting pitcher Megan Murphy then got into a groove as she allowed just four hits and struck out six in five innings of work.  Natalie Magnus hurled the final inning for the Knights, not surrendering a hit while facing just four batters.
 
The Knights were able to end the game an inning early thanks to a 5-run sixth inning when they collected just two base hits but took advantage of five Buccaneer errors.
 
Werner, Webb and Kelley collected two hits apiece to lead the Bellarmine offense as eight different players hit safely in the game.