LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Bellarmine University softball team made its long-awaited home debut on Thursday afternoon, taking down IU Indy 7-4 in its home opener at Knights Field.

Bellarmine (7-16) tied its 2025 win total with 27 games left in the 2026 season.

After a scoreless first, IU Indy (3-20) broke the stalemate with an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the second.

The lead didn't last long however as Bellarmine put its first runs on the board in the home half the inning. With two runners on and two outs, junior Nicole Waters delivered a shot to the right center gap, scoring both runs while leaving Waters with a double.

IU Indy put up another run in each of the third and fourth innings to tie and take the lead, up 3-2.

The Knights once again answered the call, this time scoring in the bottom of the fourth. Junior Brooke Shewmaker came up with a clutch, two-out RBI single up the middle to even the game at 3-3.

Bellarmine broke the game open the fourth. After each of the first two batters reached safely, freshman Lily Jones stepped to the plate and answered the call with her first career home run, blasting a three-run shot deep over the fence in left center field. Later in the frame, sophomore Lauren Guthrie tacked on another run thanks to a sacrifice fly, putting Bellarmine in the lead 7-3.

IU Indy plated one final run in the seventh, but it wasn't enough as the Knights secured the 7-4 victory in their first home game of the season.

Sophomore Makenzie Cowburn entered the circle in the fourth inning in relief and pitched the final 3.1 innings to earn the win.

Jones and Waters led the Knights with two hits each as the team combined for nine hits on the day.

Up next, Bellarmine will open its Atlantic Sun Conference schedule this weekend, hosting Lipscomb for a three-game series at Knights Field March 13-14.

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