LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bellarmine softball had a gorgeous day to honor its seniors and face Eastern Kentucky in the series finale, but the Knights came up short 9-4 on Sunday afternoon.
 
Before the game, Bellarmine recognized the following seniors:
 
-Megan Murphy | Major: Business Administration – MBA
-Sarah Ratterman | Major: Accounting
-Abby Shipley | Major: Business Administration – MBA
-Hannah Webb | Major: Nursing
-Grace Werner | Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
-Carley Ziegler | Major: Criminal Justice & Psychology
-Joelle Zielinski | Major: Nursing
 
The game held a rapid pace to start as play zoomed during the first two and a half innings.  The Knights then proceeded to break the scoreless and pick up the game's first hits in the third.  Senior Abby Shipley singled through the left side, which was followed by a single from Olivia Bricker down the right field line.  After Bricker stole second and with one out, Anna Greenwell grounded out to shortstop, bringing home Shipley to put the Knights up 1-0. 
 
Eastern Kentucky's lively offense, however, woke up in the fourth inning.  Jeanay Riley led off with a walk, Maggie Pertee singled to left field to break up the no-hitter, and Jasmine Miller singled to left field to load the bases with no outs.  Five-hole hitter Lou Bowers stepped up and blasted a grand slam over the center field fence on an 0-2 count to put EKU up 4-1. 
 
Bellarmine immediately answered in the home half of the fourth, starting with a Hannah Webb double.  With the double, Webb extended her hit streak to a career-best 10 games in a row.  Chloe Collins was next up and sent a single out to left field, which snuck by the left fielder.  The error brough Webb home and pulled the Knights within two.  With Catilyn Watson pinch-running for Collins, Watson later scored on a RBI sacrifice bunt from Shipley to make it a 4-3 game. 
 
The big blow came in the fifth inning, when EKU quickly scored three more runs.  RBI doubles from Riley and Miller made it 6-3, and Vianna Barron's RBI single up the middle pushed the EKU advantage to 7-3. 
 
The Knights had one more run in the tank, and it came from Shipley in the sixth.  On a 1-2 count, she powered a fly ball through the wind over the left field fence to bring Bellarmine within three.  The Colonels, however, scored two more insurance runs in the seventh, and the Knights could not bring any runs home with the bases loaded in the final half inning.
 
Sunday's game concludes Bellarmine's home slate this season, with Webb and Shipley shining in their final home contest.  Webb went 2-3 with a walk, while Shipley went 2-2 with two RBI.  Shipley's home run was the first of her season and just the fourth of her career.
 
Megan Murphy got out to a strong start in her senior day performance, holding EKU hitless the first three innings.  Murphy tossed 3.2 innings total on the afternoon, while Claire Lehmkuhler pitched the other 3.1. 

Bellarmine will play its remaining two series on the road, starting Saturday at Jacksonville State.
 
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