LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With two outs and nobody on in the 13th inning against the ASUN West co-leader, the Bellarmine University baseball team trailed by two runs and was down to its last strike when the Knights made a miraculous comeback to steal a wild 7-6 victory over Eastern Kentucky.

Behind the first victory over EKU (27-15, 12-7 ASUN) in the Division-I era, Larry Owens tied Deron Spink for the program record for career wins by a head coach with 211. That was one of many reasons why Bellarmine (10-31, 7-12) will remember this victory at Knights Field.

It appeared nearly impossible after Eastern Kentucky scored two runs in the top of the 13th inning for a 6-4 lead, and reliever Brock Blanton began the bottom half by recording two outs. He worked a 2-2 count on sophomore pinch hitter Ashton Smith, but staring down his final strike, Smith drew a walk to keep Bellarmine alive in the series opener.

Hope remained as senior center fielder Jack Ockerman smacked a single down the left-field line that hit the ground just ahead of the diving stop of Kendal Ewell. Senior designated hitter A.J. Arnold then appeared as if he would load the bases after lacing a single through the left side.

However, the ball skipped past the outfielder, allowing Smith and Ockerman to race home and tie it at 6-all. After an intentional walk to senior left fielder Matt Higgins, EKU handed the ball over to Bryce Travis.

On a 2-2 count, junior second baseman Brett Pfaadt hit a bouncer toward the left side that got under the backhand attempt of the shortstop and into left field. Junior pinch runner Will Aubel flew around third base and dived safely into home with the winning run well ahead of the throw on Pfaadt's walk-off single.

Bellarmine avoided a heartbreaking loss even before the game went into extra innings. Trailing 4-2, Eastern Kentucky scored twice in the ninth to tie it up and then plated the apparent go-ahead run, but the base runner representing that run was called out for missing third base.

In the 12th, senior right fielder Jacob Mulcahy robbed EKU's Will King of a possible home run — or, at the very least, a leadoff double. Senior shortstop Clayton Mehlbauer leapt high to snare a line drive to end the inning.

Mulcahy powered the offense for much of the game. He drilled solo homers in both the first and sixth innings, pushing his total to seven on the season and 18 for his career, which places him inside the program's all-time top 15.

Sophomore first baseman Davis Crane broke a 2-all tie in the seventh with a two-run single. He went 3-for-6 in accounting for a good chunk of Bellarmine's nine hits.

Junior righthander Drew Buhr delivered an outstanding start, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out a career-best 10 batters in a career-high-tying 7.0 innings. Buhr was perfect through three innings and didn't allow a hit until the fifth.

Junior righthander Ryan Johnson tossed 1.2 scoreless innings of relief, and senior righthander Matt Craven collected the win.

Higgins extended his hitting streak to 15 games and walked four times. He and EKU's Ewell, two of the ASUN's most dangerous hitters, combined for seven free passes, several of the intentional variety.

The second of the three-game series will unfold at 2 p.m. (ET) Saturday.

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