Bellarmine baseball defeated Dayton 8-6 at Woerner Field on Apr. 21, ending a four-game losing streak and matching last year’s total of 17 wins, which ties the most in the program’s Division I era.
The game was significant as it marked the end of an eight-game road trip for Bellarmine and provided momentum heading into their next home series. The Knights’ offense struggled early, scoring only two runs in the first six innings while Dayton built a 5-2 lead by capitalizing on a three-run fourth inning.
Bellarmine began to recover in the seventh inning before mounting a decisive rally in the eighth. After loading the bases, they scored four runs through timely hits and walks. Eli Watson drove in two runs during this stretch, and AJ Swader contributed with an extra-base hit that helped turn a three-run deficit into a one-run lead. The Knights added another run in the ninth to secure their victory.
Swader’s triple during the game brought his season RBI total to 50, making him just the second player in Bellarmine’s Division I era to reach that milestone. On pitching duty, Connor Sims had his longest outing of the season with four innings and four strikeouts. Drew Jennings followed with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen before Karl Ralamb pitched a clean seventh inning and earned the win. Cade Rusch finished off Dayton over two final innings for his third save of the year.
Landon Akers led Bellarmine’s offense with three hits while Luke Scales also recorded multiple hits as part of Bellarmine’s ten-hit performance for the afternoon.
Looking ahead, Bellarmine will return home to host Central Arkansas at Knights Field this weekend for an ASUN Conference series scheduled from Friday through Sunday.
