LAS CRUCES, NM — When he was an All-America college baseball player, Chris Dominguez was known for his power.

His Bellarmine University squad certainly emulated that characteristic in Dominguez's first game as a head coach.

And not just at the plate. It was on the mound as well.

Four Knights went deep and Nolan Pender led an incredible 16-strikeout effort from the Bellarmine pitching staff in a 7-2 victory over New Mexico State in Friday night's season opener at Presley Askew Field.

The victory came in Dominguez's head-coaching debut for the Knights.

"Winning is great," he said, "but what's better is how we won and how the team played."

Pender (1-0) was lights out for Bellarmine (1-0), setting a new career high with 11 strikeouts in 6.0 shutout innings against New Mexico State (0-1), which was the 2022 WAC Tournament champion and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The senior right-hander allowed only two hits and one walk.

Pender struck out the side in order in the second inning. He fanned two in the first, third and fourth and one each in the fifth and sixth. The righty never faced more than four batters in an inning.

Bellarmine's offense made a statement from the get-go. Leading off the game, and in the first Knights at-bat of his career, junior center fielder Reed Blaszczyk blistered the second pitch he saw over the left-field fence. Blaszczyk was 3-for-5 with three runs scored in his auspicious debut.

Three batters later, junior first baseman Davis Crane unloaded on his first swing of the season, smashing an opposite-field homer to left. Crane added a double in the contest.

With two outs in the third, senior second baseman Peyton Back hammered a two-run homer to left. His blast followed an RBI ground out by senior third baseman Colin Bertsch and staked Bellarmine to a 5-0 lead.

New Mexico State stopped the bleeding and scored a pair of runs in the eighth to cut the deficit to 5-2, but senior shortstop Brett Pfaadt cranked a solo shot to left in the ninth for his first career homer. Blaszczyk tacked on another insurance run when he scored on a throwing error.

Senior right-hander Matt Craven sewed up the win with a punch out, his second strikeout of the ninth. Sophomore right-hander Arren Hash fanned three in 1.2 innings of relief.

Sophomore right fielder Casey Sorg and senior designated hitter Dylan Byerly collected two hits each as Bellarmine registered 11 for the game while limiting New Mexico State to four.

The Knights and Aggies will play the second of the three-game series at 4 p.m. (ET) Saturday.

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