LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bellarmine opened the day with a 14-3 win over the University of Evansville softball team, but a strong all-around effort in the second game saw the Purple Aces score three runs in the 8^th inning to take an 8-5 win to split Saturday's games in Louisville.
 
Game 1 – Bellarmine 14, UE 3
 
A 7-run first inning by Bellarmine set the tone in a 14-3 loss to the Knights.  In the first frame, Bellarmine drew seven walks, scoring seven runs on just one hit.  They added six more run in the second to extend the advantage to 13-0.
 
Kayley Batts led off the third with a single to center and Hannah Would reached on a 2-out walk.  That brought Jess Willsey to the plate and she got UE on the board with a 2-run double.  Lacy Smith added UE's third run of the game in the fourth.
 
Bellarmine's final run scored in the bottom of the fourth as they took the 14-3 decision.  Megan Brenton suffered the loss, allowing four runs and four walks.  Elle Jarrett pitched four innings of relief.  Claire Lehmkuhler was credited with the win, giving up three runs on five hits in four frames.
 
Game 2 – UE 8, Bellarmine 5 (8 innings)
 
In a back-and-forth contest, the Purple Aces scored three runs in the top of the 8^th to defeat Bellarmine by an 8-5 final in Saturday's second game.  UE had a much better start, posting a single run in the first before plating four in the top half of the second.
 
Jenna Nink opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the to bring in Zoe Frossard.  Evansville utilized small ball to perfection in the second as Marah Wood hit a leadoff single, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sac fly from Kayley Batts.  Alexa Davis drew a walk in the inning, stole second, moved to third on Batts' sac fly and came home on a Niki Bode sac.
 
Frossard connected on a triple to left center before Hannah Hood was hit by a pitch.  Both would score on a 2-run single by Jess Willsey to extend the lead to 5-0.  Things remained that way until the bottom of the fourth when the Knights put a 5-spot on the board to tie the game.  Neither team could score through the 7^th and the game headed to extras.
 
Opening the inning on second, Frossard advanced on a sac bunt by Lacy Smith and scored the go-ahead run on a triple from Wood.  That brought Davis to the plate, who delivered a sacrifice fly to make it a 2-run game.  Evansville's run continued as they loaded the bases for Hood, who earned a walk to put her team in front at 8-5.  Megan Brenton got the job done in the bottom of the frame, sitting the Knights down in order to clinch the win.
 
Both squads picked up six hits with Wood accounting for three.  Frossard scored three runs and walked three times.  Mikayla Jolly made the start, allowing five runs in 3 2/3 innings. Sydney Weatherford tossed 2 1/3 frames of 1-hit ball before Brenton threw the final two innings on the way to the win.