LYNCHBURG, Va. — The Bellarmine University baseball team's season ended Saturday as the Knights were defeated 12-6 by Liberty in an ASUN Championship quarterfinal series elimination game at Liberty Baseball Stadium.

The contest was tied at 2-2 until North Division one-seed Liberty (37-12) piled up 10 runs in the seventh inning against North four-seed Bellarmine (13-36), which concluded its first season in Division I. The Flames clinched the best-of-three series after also winning the first game, 5-2.

Things started out promising for Bellarmine as senior designated hitter Chris Gambert roped a two-out, two-run double in the first after senior third baseman Josh Finerty and junior shortstop Clayton Mehlbauer had opened the game with consecutive singles.

Liberty scored one run each in the first and second, and the game stayed knotted at 2 until the bottom of the seventh. The Flames exploded for 10 runs, and while they did collect five hits in the frame, the Knights helped the big inning along greatly with six walks — two were intentional — and a hit by pitch.

Bellarmine did add three runs in the eighth after junior left fielder Matt Higgins swatted an RBI double and junior right fielder Jacob Mulcahy laced a two-run single. Mehlbauer lofted a sacrifice fly in the ninth for the Knights' final run.

Junior right-hander Reece Davis was superb in relief for Bellarmine, allowing a single hit in 4.0 scoreless innings. The Knights had a good start against Dylan Cumming (4-1) and made some things happen in the eighth, but Cumming was dominant in between and earned the win after tossing 7.2 innings.

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