LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bellarmine softball once again brought out all of its offensive weapons, scoring 19 runs between a pair of games against St. Bonaventure and Evansville on Sunday, winning game one 12-4 over the Bonnies before falling 7-17 to the Purple Aces in game two at Knights Field.
 
The Knights (8-12) tied their 2023 season long run total of 76 in game one with a 12-run effort against St. Bonaventure, the team's 19^th game of the season. Bellarmine surpassed last year's mark in game two, bringing its 2024 run total to 83. With the win in game one, the Knights have also already doubled their win mark from 2023.
 
"We had a lot of great production from our offense this weekend, and you can see the progress we are continuing to make each game," said Bellarmine head coach Caitlyn de la Haba. "We were a little sloppy on the defensive end in the second game and we let it get away from us but, overall, I'm really happy with our bats this weekend as we move into our first week of ASUN play."
 
Game One
 
Bellarmine got right back to business in game one, scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, junior Harlie Bickett drew a walk and then stole second to put herself into scoring position. With two away in the fram, junior Megan Konermann roped a triple off the wall in right field, scoring Bickett and giving the Knights a quick 1-0 lead.
 
St. Bonaventure answered two innings later, putting up a run on two walks and a hit to even the score 1-1. The Bonnies scored again in the top of the fifth, tallying two more runs on a hit by pitch, two hits and a Bellarmine error to take a 3-1 lead.
 
The Bonnies lead would not last long as the Knights broke the game open in the home half of the fifth. Junior Kayla Bauer kicked things off with a leadoff bunt single, followed by two more singles from freshman Brooke Shewmaker and Bickett to load the bases. With one out in the frame, Konermann reached on a fielder's choice that also allowed Bauer to score from third. Junior Serenity Shemwell brought home the second run of the inning in the next at-bat, sending a sacrifice fly deep to center field to score Shewmaker. After grad student Olivia Bricker drew a walk to load the bases, freshman Nicole Waters stepped to the plate and lined a single to right field, scoring both Konermann and Bickett before stealing second to keep two runners in scoring position. Junior Erica Endris drew the second walk of the inning to re-load the bases for Bauer who stepped up and delivered a bases clearing triple to right center, pushing Bellarmine ahead 8-3.
 
St. Bonaventure scratched another run across in the top of the sixth, but it wouldn't be enough as the Knights continued to pile on in the bottom of the inning. Bickett singled through the left side to lead off the inning before junior Chloe Collins blasted a two-run home run over the fence in left field, her third homer of the season. With one out in the inning, Shemwell stepped to the plate and sent another rocket over the fence in left field, a solo home run for her second of the season. Bricker and sophomore Madison Davis followed with a walk each before fellow sophomore Audrey Magnus came in to pinch hit and delivered the final blow with an RBI single up the middle, the Knights fourth run of the inning, good enough to reach the mercy rule as Bellarmine secured a 12-4 victory.
 
Game Two
Similar to Bellarmine in game one, Evansville got to work early and often, scoring runs in each of the first four innings. The Purple Aces put up three runs in the first and second innings, two runs in the third and five in the fourth for a total of 13 runs.
 
The Knights answered Evansville, also scoring runs in each of the first four innings. Collins brought in a run in the first with an RBI single to cut into the deficit, down 3-1. In the second, Bauer came through with another RBI knock, scratching across another run, still down 6-2. The bats got hot in the fourth as Bellarmine charged for four more runs an RBI single from Shemwell and a three-run bomb courtesy of freshman Nicole Waters, her first of her collegiate career, to get back within two at 8-6. The Knights put up one more run in the fourth on a Konermann sacrifice fly to end the scoring run, still finding themselves down 13-7.
 
Both teams were held in check until the seventh when Evansville took charge once more, scoring four runs on three hits and an error to subdue the Knights and take a 17-7 win.
 
Bellarmine will be back in action, continuing its homestand with two more game next Wednesday, March 13 as the Knights welcome Butler University and Dartmouth College to Knights Field. Bellarmine will face off against the Butler Bulldogs first at 3 p.m. ET, ending the day against the Dartmouth Big Green at 5 p.m. ET.
 
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