LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Interstat) — Nick Gnardellis singled home Luke Scales with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday, capping a late rally that lifted the Bellarmine Knights to a 7-6 victory over the Northern Kentucky Norse in a back-and-forth nonconference baseball game at Knights Field.

The Knights, who trailed 6-0 after the top of the first inning and 6-4 entering the eighth, scored twice in the eighth to tie it before securing the walk-off win in the ninth. Bellarmine improved to 8-15 overall, while Northern Kentucky fell to 10-13.

The game’s most critical sequence unfolded in the final two innings. After Bellarmine’s Landon Akers delivered a two-run single up the middle in the eighth to knot the score at 6-6, the Knights’ bullpen held firm. Reliever Cade Rusch worked a perfect top of the ninth, setting the stage for the decisive rally.

In the bottom half, Sawyer Pace grounded out before Scales singled to left field. Eli Watson followed with a groundout that moved Scales into scoring position. Gnardellis then hit a sharp grounder to second base, scoring Scales from second to trigger the celebration.

The comeback erased a disastrous start for Bellarmine. Northern Kentucky sent nine men to the plate in the first inning, scoring all six of its runs. Jackson Wang and Mark Nowak led off with back-to-back singles and executed a double steal. Jake Paulick then provided the early thunder, launching a three-run home run to right field off Bellarmine starter Drew Jennings. Later in the inning, with two runners on, Ethan Thomas laced a two-run double to right-center, and he later scored on a double steal to stake the Norse to a commanding 6-0 lead before Bellarmine recorded an out.

Bellarmine immediately chipped away in its half of the first, scoring two unearned runs. AJ Swader doubled and later scored on a wild pitch, while Landon Akers came home on a throwing error by the right fielder following a sacrifice fly. The Knights added single runs in the fourth on an RBI fielder’s choice by Jake Bell and a sacrifice fly by Akers, cutting the deficit to 6-4.

From there, the game became a battle of bullpens. Northern Kentucky reliever MJ Castaneda provided two perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts. Bellarmine’s Evan Hart was equally effective, tossing 1 1/3 hitless innings with two strikeouts. Connor Sims and Nikau Heeney also contributed scoreless frames for the Knights, while Kyle Cortner and Gabe Stout did the same for the Norse to keep the score 6-4 into the late innings.

Bellarmine’s offense, which outhit Northern Kentucky 13-6, finally broke through against the Norse bullpen in the eighth. Logan Murphy singled and pinch-hitter Mason Acton walked. After a flyout, Akers delivered his clutch two-run single to center off Gannon Wentz to tie the game. Akers was caught stealing to end the inning, but the damage was done.

Paulick’s first-inning homer accounted for three of Northern Kentucky’s six RBIs. Thomas drove in the other two. For Bellarmine, Akers finished with three RBIs, while Gnardellis had the game-winner and Bell added an RBI.

The victory defied the pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 5-3 Bellarmine win, while its ELO system gave Northern Kentucky a 61.5% probability of victory.

Northern Kentucky returns home to begin a Horizon League series against Youngstown State on Friday. Bellarmine opens an ASUN Conference series at home against North Alabama, also on Friday. The two teams are scheduled to meet again next Tuesday in Highland Heights, Kentucky.