BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The Bellarmine University baseball team built a comfortable lead before fending off a comeback bid by Western Kentucky to preserve a 9-7 win Tuesday at Nick Denes Field.

Bellarmine (5-2) dealt Western Kentucky (7-2) just its second loss in nine games. The Knights and Hilltoppers have squared off three times in the Division-I era, and in each case the road team has come away with the victory, with BU now claiming two of those wins.

Bellarmine led 7-2 after 3.5 innings but ultimately had to sweat out the victory. The Knights led 9-6 in the ninth, but Western Kentucky loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half. Senior right-hander Matt Craven followed by inducing a double play as one Hilltopper run came across.

Western Kentucky would get the tying run to first base, but Craven closed out the win as the Hilltoppers hit into a game-ending fielder's choice. Craven notched his second save of the season after allowing one run with three strikeouts in 2.1 innings pitched.

Junior right-hander Cody Medley (1-0) earned the first win of his career after surrendering one run with two strikeouts in 3.0 innings of relief. Senior right-hander Devin Ecklar tossed the first 3.0 innings and allowed a pair of runs while fanning one.

Bellarmine's explosive start was critical to the victory. The Knights scored four runs in the first inning as sophomore right fielder Casey Sorg followed singles by junior first baseman Davis Crane and senior third baseman Colin Bertsch with his second homer of the season, a three-run blast.

Senior outfielder Will Aubel then followed senior left fielder Dylan Byerly's single with an RBI double to stake Bellarmine to a 4-0 lead. Senior second baseman Peyton Back added an RBI single in the third, and the Knights tacked on a pair of unearned runs for a 7-2 advantage in the fourth.

Aubel singled, stole second and scored on a two-out RBI single by senior shortstop Brett Pfaadt to restore a five-run lead at 8-3 in the seventh. Western Kentucky would plate three in the bottom half to cut its deficit to two, but Crane drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth for a three-run cushion, which proved to be enough as the Knights survived some tense moments in the bottom half of the frame.

Bellarmine registered 12 hits. Crane, Sorg, Aubel and Pfaadt collected two apiece.

The Knights will play a four-game series at Mercer starting at 6 p.m. (ET) Friday.

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