RICHMOND, Ky. — The Bellarmine University baseball team was edged 3-2 Tuesday by Eastern Kentucky in a nonconference midweek contest at Earle Combs Stadium.

Bellarmine (13-31) had strong collective pitching against EKU (17-29). Freshman right-hander Devin Ecklar set the tone on the mound for the Knights after allowing a single run in 4.0 innings pitched. Neither freshman right-hander Ryan Johnson nor freshman left-hander Steven Thom yielded an earned run in 1.1 innings each of relief.

Junior center fielder Matt Higgins led Bellarmine's offense. He crushed his eighth homer of the season with a missile to right center in the eighth, a solo blast that tied the contest at 2-2. Higgins also had a big role in the Knights' other run, leading off the sixth with a double and scoring on a sacrifice fly by junior right fielder Jacob Mulcahy.

Higgins and junior shortstop Clayton Mehlbauer had two hits apiece for Bellarmine. Senior third baseman Josh Finerty and senior catcher Patrick Arndt had one hit apiece for the Knights.

EKU scored once in the second, sixth and eighth, the latter on a sacrifice fly that represented the winning run.

Bellarmine hosts Youngstown State in a three-game series, starting with a 2 p.m. (ET) contest Friday at Knights Field.

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