KENNESAW, Ga. — The Bellarmine University baseball team was defeated 9-3 by Kennesaw State on Saturday at Stillwell Baseball Stadium.

Bellarmine (3-9, 0-2 ASUN) got the bats going early as senior third baseman Josh Finerty singled to lead off the game. Finerty then advanced to second on a groundout by senior left fielder Chris Gambert before scoring on an RBI single by junior utility Jacob Mulcahy.

After the Owls (9-5, 2-0 ASUN) scored the tying run in the bottom of the first, senior second baseman Justin Rouse rocketed his first home run of the season to give the Knights a 2-1 lead after two innings. In the top of the fifth, with the game tied 2-2, junior outfielder Matt Higgins and Gambert hit back-to-back singles and Mulcahy drove in Higgins for his second RBI of the afternoon to give the Knights a 3-2 lead.

However, the game got away from Bellarmine in the sixth, as Kennesaw State scored five runs in the inning. The Owls added runs in the seventh and eighth.

The Knights recorded nine hits, including three by Mulcahy, but left the bases loaded in both the fifth and sixth and stranded 10 runners overall. Bellarmine also committed three costly errors as KSU's first run and the RBI double that gave them the lead in the sixth were all unearned.

Luke Torbert picked up the series-clinching win for the Owls to move to 2-2 on the season, allowing all nine of Bellarmine's hits and all three of the team's runs.

Bellarmine and KSU will close out their three-game series at 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday at 1 p.m.

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