MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Powered by an exceptional pitching performance from junior right-hander Chase Carver, the Bellarmine University baseball team secured a 6-3 win over Middle Tennessee State in the opening game of a doubleheader Saturday before dropping the tail end 15-5 at Reese Smith Jr. Field.

Carver (1-0) tossed a career-high 7.0 innings while allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts against only one walk for Bellarmine (1-2). The righty did not concede a hit through the first four innings and did not allow more than one baserunner to reach in any inning. He retired the side in order three times.

In his Bellarmine debut, senior right-hander Cade Rusch tossed a scoreless inning of relief. Middle Tennessee (2-1) made things interesting in the ninth with a two-run homer, and the Blue Raiders had the tying run at the plate when senior right-hander Oliver Ward entered and induced a ground out while recording his first save of the season.

Sophomore catcher Mason Acton went 3-for-5 with three RBI in the opener. He had RBI singles in the third and the fifth, and an RBI double in the ninth.

Senior right fielder Eli Watson also went 3-for-5. Watson and senior first baseman AJ Swader had RBI singles in the first to stake the Knights to a 2-0 lead.

Bellarmine's first three home runs of the season came in the second game, and all were by first-year Knights. Senior catcher Logan Murphy and freshman infielder Jake Bell launched solo shots in the third inning while junior center fielder Luca Hoerger cranked a two-run shot in the fourth.

Hoerger, sophomore shortstop Landon Akers and senior third baseman Luke Scales had two hits apiece for Bellarmine.

Middle Tennessee, which took two of three in the series, plated seven runs over the first two innings and six over the last two while amassing 15 hits.

Bellarmine will play at 5 p.m. (ET) Tuesday at Belmont.

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