CONWAY, Ark. (Interstat) — AJ Swader broke out of a slump with three hits and three RBIs, powering the Bellarmine Knights to a 5-2 victory over the Central Arkansas Bears in ASUN Conference baseball action Saturday at Bear Stadium.

The Knights, who dropped a high-scoring affair to the Bears a day earlier, used a strong start and a complete pitching performance to even the series and improve to 7-14 overall. Central Arkansas fell to 12-11.

Swader, Bellarmine’s first baseman, provided the early offense. After going hitless in his previous two games, including an 0-for-3 performance in Friday’s 17-12 loss, he led off the scoring by driving the third pitch of the game from Central Arkansas starter P. Fernandez over the right-field fence for a solo home run.

He was far from done. In the fourth inning, with two outs and two runners in scoring position, Swader laced a two-run double to center field, scoring Casey Pawloski and Logan Murphy to extend Bellarmine’s lead to 5-0. Swader finished 3 for 5, raising his average and providing the bulk of the Knights’ run production.

Bellarmine’s other runs came via small ball in the second inning and a late insurance score in the ninth. Landon Akers singled, stole second and scored on an RBI single from Cole Huett in the second. In the ninth, Logan Murphy added an RBI single to plate Ethan Watson, who had singled and advanced on a wild pitch.

The Knights’ pitching staff made the early lead stand, holding Central Arkansas to just three hits. Starter K. Ralamb worked two scoreless innings before handing off to C. Chamberlain, who pitched four more hitless frames. The Bears finally broke through in the seventh against reliever P. Montefort.

Zeb Allen led off the inning with a triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Carter Land. After two walks loaded the bases, Jagger Schattle delivered a two-out RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-2. Bellarmine reliever O. Ward entered and escaped the jam, getting Gwyn Parker to ground out with the bases loaded to end the threat.

Ward and C. Rusch combined for two perfect innings to close out the game, with Rusch earning the save.

The most important part of the game was Bellarmine’s immediate response to Friday’s defeat, spearheaded by Swader’s first-inning homer. It set a decisive tone against a Bears team that had won the series opener and was projected as a significant favorite. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 5-4 Central Arkansas victory, and its ELO system gave the Bears a 67.8% probability to win.

Instead, Bellarmine’s hitters collected 11 hits, and its pitchers consistently worked out of minimal trouble, stranding Bears runners and never letting the home team mount a sustained rally after the seventh-inning spurt.

For Central Arkansas, Allen’s triple was one of only three hits, with Schattle recording the lone RBI. Fernandez took the loss for the Bears, allowing five runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings.

The series finale is scheduled for Sunday at Bear Stadium.