LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Bellarmine University softball team heads west to St. Charles, Mo. for its final non-conference tournament of the season this weekend, playing five games in the Lindenwood Invite March 1-3.
This weekend, Bellarmine will kick off play against University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (3-7) on Friday, March 1 at 1 p.m. ET, followed by a game against host Lindenwood University (5-9) at 5 p.m. ET. The Knights will resume action on Saturday, March 2 with another bout against Lindenwood with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, closing out day two with a matchup against Western Illinois University (6-9) at 5 p.m. ET. On Sunday, March 3, Bellarmine will wrap up the weekend with one final game against Western Illinois at 1 p.m. ET.
The Knights (5-5) have 10 games under their belts now after playing two, five-game non-conference tournaments. Week one, Bellarmine came out of the gates with a win in its first game of the season but followed with four straight losses. Last weekend, the Knights reversed course, winning four of five games, including three games in a row, tied for the longest win streak in Bellarmine's Division I era. Bellarmine was scheduled to play a midweek contest at Marshall prior to its weekend slate but, the game was cancelled due to inclement weather.
Junior
Claire Lehmkuhler led the way for Bellarmine, turning in a stellar weekend of play in the pitching circle. Lehmkuhler made four appearances, three starts, in The Spring Games, earning a 3-0 record with a save in 17.0 innings of work. In game one, Lehmkuhler tossed her second complete game of the season, a 5.0 inning run rule of St. Bonaventure (2/23). Over the weekend, Lehmkuhler earned a 1.23 ERA, allowing just three earned runs while racking up 17 strikeouts, surrendering 13 hits and seven walks. Overall, she owns a 4-2 record with a 1.65 ERA in 34.0 innings pitched, tallying 27 strikeouts to eight walks for a 1.03 WHIP while allowing just a .208 opponent batting average.
At the plate, junior
Chloe Collins helped pace the Knights' offense, batting .438 (7-for-16) across the five games with a double, two home runs, five runs batted in, five runs scored, two walks and three strikeouts. On February 23 against St. Bonaventure, Collins was red-hot at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double, home run, four RBI and two runs. Her home run, her first of the season, was a grand slam. She followed in the second game of the with another home run, RBI and two more runs.
As a team, Bellarmine is hitting .237 on the year with 14 extra-base hits, 36 runs batted in and 41 runs scored. The team is also 13-for-15 in stolen bases attempts. On the rubber, the Knights boast a 3.08 ERA, recording 42 strikeouts to 23 walks.
About the field
Green Bay is off to a 3-7 start to the 2024 season after turning in a 22-31 record last year. The Phoenix were picked to finish fifth in this year's Horizon League preseason poll, mirroring their finish from last season. Green Bay's offense is led by sophomore Paige Hanson and senior Hailey Heckenlaible, the only two players on the team with a batting average of .300+. Hanson is hitting .333 on the year, notching a team-high tying eight hits with three RBI and three runs scored. Heckenlaible is second on the team, batting .308 with a team-high tying eight hits, three RBI and a team-high four runs. In the circle, the Phoenix are led freshman Ava Schill. Schill owns 1-1 record with a 4.20 ERA, recording seven strikeouts in 18.1 innings pitched with one complete game. As a team, Green Bay is hitting .202 with four extra-base hits and 18 runs. On the rubber, the Phoenix have a 6.02 team ERA and are allowing a .347 opponent batting average. Bellarmine and Green Bay have met twice previously, with both matchups coming in a single weekend in 2022. The Knights are 1-1 against the Phoenix, having won the first game 2-1 before losing the second 10-1.
Lindenwood is 5-9 three weeks into its 2024 season. The Lions were picked to finish seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference this year, their second in Division I, after a 16-32, 8-15 seventh place in their first season in the league. Lindenwood is led by junior Mya Bethany, senior Chloe Honchar and freshman Madisen Noll at the plate, each boasting an average of .250+. Bethany leads the Lions, hitting .333 with a team-high 12 hits, adding a double, RBI, four runs and three stolen bases. Honchar is second on the team, hitting .286 with 10 hits, adding a team-high tying three doubles and five runs with two RBI and three stolen bases. Noll has tallied a team-high tying three doubles and four RBI while batting .258, recording eight hits and two runs. On the rubber, grad student Amanda Weyh leads Lindenwood in ERA (3.00), wins (3), innings pitched (39.0) and strikeouts (42) while turning in three complete games and a shutout. The Lions are batting .210 as a team with 12 extra-base hits and 28 runs. In the circle, Lindenwood's pitching staff is working with a 7.62 team ERA, recording 67 strikeouts while allowing a .281 opponent batting average. Bellarmine is 2-1 all-time against Lindenwood. The two teams last played as Division II foes in 2017, resulting in the Lions lone win against the Knights, a 12-2 defeat on February 18, 2017. Bellarmine earned its two victories over Lindenwood in a doubleheader on March 3, 2015, winning game one 9-1 and game two 2-1.
Western Illinois enters the weekend with a 6-9 record. The Leathernecks were picked to finish ninth in their first season in the Ohio Valley Conference. Senior Bella Alvarez was pegged as one of ten players to watch in the OVC and has so far proven to be a solid player this season, leading the team with a .405 batting average, racking up team highs in hits (17), home runs (2) and RBI (14) in 14 games, adding two doubles and five runs. Behind Alvarez, the Leathernecks have four other players hitting .300+ on the year in sophomore Rylee Boone (.393), senior Gabriela Drager (.349), freshman Sophia Sanchez (.347) and freshman Malia Robertson (.311). Sanchez has tallied a team-high tying 17 hits and ranks second on the team with eight runs. Robertson leads Western Illinois with nine stolen bases and 11 runs while ranking second with eight RBI. In the circle, senior Emily Price leads the Leathernecks with a 2.69 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, owning a 2-4 record with one save and one complete game in 11 appearances (five starts). Price has tallied 43 strikeouts to 14 walks in 39.0 innings pitched. Junior Raven Morrison ranks first on the staff for most wins with a 3-1 record, owning a 3.61 ERA with 24 strikeouts to 18 walks in 31.0 innings of work. Western Illinois is hitting .274 as a group with 30 extra-base hits, 63 runs and 30 stolen bases, good for T23 in the nation. On the rubber, the Leathernecks employ a 3.11 team ERA with 85 strikeouts while allowing a .282 opponent batting average. This weekend's contests between Bellarmine and Western Illinois will be the first meetings.
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