HUNTSVILLE, Ala.—Bellarmine concluded its annual trek to Huntsville, Alabama to kick off its season, and the Knights are returning with an even record of 2-2 after splitting a  doubleheader with the University of West Georgia on Saturday.  The Knights got out to a hot start then hung on to win the opener 12-7, but never got the offense rolling in game two as the Wolves posted an 11-1 victory.
 
Bellarmine heads back South next week to play four games in  Chattanooga, Tennessee in an event hosted by Lee University. The Knights will play Lenoir-Rhyne and Columbus State on Saturday before taking on Hillsdale and Union University (TN) on Sunday.
 
GAME 1:  BU 12, UWG 7 (HTM BOX SCORE)
 
As the visiting team in the opener, Bellarmine jumped out to a quick lead with a 3-run first inning as Hannah Webb and Alexis Hargrove collected RBI hits with Sabrina Fussenegger, Grace Werner and Webb scoring the runs. 
 
Starting pitcher Shelby Kelley kept the Wolves off the scoreboard in the home half of the first, and the Knights offense went right back to work in the second, scoring four times in the frame. Hargrove upped her RBI total to four with a clutch 2-out, 2-run single.
 
After UWG went down in order, Bellarmine extended the lead to 8-0 in the third on a Werner single that plated Samantha Smith, who was on base after rapping her second single of the game.
 
Bellarmine appeared to be on its way to run-ruling the Wolves as the Knights took an 8-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth.  However, Lexi Close led off with a homer to extend the game.
 
The Knights failed to score in the top of the sixth, and West Georgia made things interesting by scoring four times in the bottom half of the sixth.
 
However, the Knights gave themselves some breathing room by plating four runs in the seventh to make the margin seven at 12-5.  All four scores came courtesy of the long ball as Webb swatted her second 3-run homer of the season and Hargrove smacked a solo shot.
 
West Georgia fought to the end, however, and scratched out a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh to make the final score 12-7.
 
Kelley picked up the pitching win, and Fussenegger weathered the last 1.2 innings in the circle to pick up a save.
 
 
GAME 2:  UWG 11, BU 1 (HTM BOX SCORE)
 
In game two, UWG's Lexi Close nearly beat the Knights by herself. As the starting pitcher, she surrendered just four base hits while walking just one and striking out seven. And on offense, she delivered her second homer of the day and drove in two.
 
The Knights, meanwhile, just never got going offensively or defensively, committing as many errors as they had base hits (four).  The lone Bellarmine run came in the second inning when Rachel Ayer doubled home Hargrove, who had singled just ahead of her. 
 
The Bellarmine pitching staff, which combined for just three strikeouts in the game, didn't get much help defensively as only five of UWG's 11 runs were earned.
 
Ayer, who made her 2020 debut as she works back from injury, was a bright spot for Bellarmine, collecting two of the Knights' four hits.