LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Bellarmine University softball team was held in check on Wednesday afternoon after an explosive weekend at the plate, dropping both games of a doubleheader. Bellarmine fell in game one 9-5 to Butler before game two was called early due to lack of light, resulting in a 2-0 loss to Dartmouth.
 
The Knights (8-14) looked to build off an explosive weekend where they put up 38 runs across four games as they head into their first weekend of conference action but were unable to muster the same production on Wednesday, scoring just five runs in two games.
 
Game One
 
Bellarmine got off to a hot start in the first game of the day, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Freshman Brooke Shewmaker kicked frame off with a single to left field. Junior Harlie Bickett followed reaching first via fielder's choice before both Shewmaker and Bickett moved into scoring position courtesy of a muffed throw by Butler's second basemen. With one out in the inning, junior Megan Konermann roped a double down the left field line, scoring both Shewmaker and Bickett. Konermann was brought home in the following at-bat thanks to an RBI single off the bat of junior Serenity Shemwell, giving the Knights a 3-0 lead.
 
Butler answered in its next at-bat, scoring two runs in the second to cut its deficit to just one, down 3-2. The Bulldogs didn't stop there as they scored seven more runs across the next four innings to jump out to a 9-3 lead.
 
The Knights put up a fight in the bottom of the seventh. Sophomore Madison Davis started the rally with a leadoff single up the middle. With two outs and two runners on, Bickett drove another single up the middle, scoring Davis and advancing junior Kayla Bauer to second. In the following plate appearance, junior Chloe Collins lined a single into left field to score Bauer, cutting the Bulldogs lead to four at 9-5. The rally unfortunately ended there as the game ended on a hard line drive right at the third basemen.
 
Game Two
 
Game two was a pitcher's duel from the start as both teams went down in order in each of the first two innings.
 
Dartmouth ended the scoreless tie in the top of the third, scoring two runs on a walk and two hits.
 
The Knights finally broke through with their first hit in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a single to right field off the bat of grad student Olivia Bricker.
 
The game would not last much longer as the umpires called the game early due to lack of light of light creating unsafe playing conditions with two outs in the top of the sixth, resulting in a 2-0 loss for Bellarmine.
 
Up next, Bellarmine begins Atlantic Sun conference play this weekend, March 15-16, hosting Jacksonville University for a three-game series. The Knights and Dolphins will play a true doubleheader on Friday, March 15 with game one scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and game two set for 5:30 p.m. ET. The series will conclude with the third and final game on Saturday, March 16 with first pitch set for 11 a.m. ET.
 
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