EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Behind another commanding start from
Nolan Pender, the Bellarmine University baseball team held on for a 4-2 victory over Southern Indiana on Friday at USI Baseball Field.
In a renewal of a former Division II rivalry, only now in the D1 ranks, Bellarmine extended its winning streak to start the season — and to begin the
Chris Dominguez era — to four games after the Knights (4-0) defeated the Screaming Eagles (3-3) in the series opener following their three-game sweep last weekend at New Mexico State.
The reigning ASUN Pitcher of the Week, Pender followed his lights-out start against the Aggies with a dominant outing versus Southern Indiana. The senior right-hander (2-0) did not allow an earned run in 7.0 innings while striking out five and yielding only one hit. Pender has not surrendered an earned run in 13.0 innings this season.
Matt Craven earned his first save of the season after retiring the side in order in the ninth. The senior right-hander fanned the leadoff man and induced a pair of ground outs to lock up the Knights' fourth win in a row.
Pitching was the highlight, although Bellarmine did outhit Southern Indiana 9-3. After the Screaming Eagles scored an unearned run in the first, junior outfielder
Reed Blaszczyk smashed his second home run of the season, a go-ahead two-run shot in the third.
Bellarmine added its last two runs in the sixth. Junior first baseman
Davis Crane led off the frame with a walk, senior second baseman
Peyton Back singled and senior designated hitter
Dylan Byerly advanced them with a sacrifice bunt. Senior pinch hitter
Tommy Dilz followed by lacing a single to center, which plated Crane while Back also scored after the ball was muffed in the outfield for a 4-1 lead.
Southern Indiana cut the deficit to 4-2 with a run in the eighth, but that's where the game's scoring ended.
In addition to his homer, Blaszczyk doubled and singled in going 3-for-5 with two RBI. Back added a pair of hits.
Bellarmine will meet USI in the second of the three-game series at 2 p.m. (ET) Saturday.
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