LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Interstat) — Denver Hamilton pitched seven scoreless innings of no-hit baseball, striking out five, and Central Arkansas broke open a close game with a six-run fourth inning to beat Bellarmine 13-2 on Friday afternoon at Knights Field.

The Bears improved to 24-19 overall and 17-19 in the ASUN, while the Knights fell to 17-24 and 11-20. Central Arkansas won the opener of a three-game series that continues Saturday and Sunday, matching the teams for the second time in five weeks. The Bears had taken two of three at home against Bellarmine in March.

Hamilton, a right-hander, needed only 85 pitches to get through seven innings, allowing two earned runs on no hits. He walked three and struck out five. His previous start on April 17 against Eastern Kentucky was similar: seven innings, seven hits, two earned runs, seven strikeouts in a 12-2 victory.

Central Arkansas struck first in the second inning, scoring five unearned runs thanks to two Bellarmine errors. Keaton Laidley singled, then advanced to second on an error by the third baseman on a fielder’s choice. Mark Ross drove in Laidley with a single. After another single and a fielder’s choice, Zane Denton picked up an RBI. A wild pitch brought home another run, and Jagger Schattle doubled in two more to make it 5-0.

The Bears blew the game open in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Nate Negre singled in a run. After a fielder’s choice left the bases loaded, Gwyn Parker walked to force in a run. Laidley then cleared the bases with a double to left center, scoring three runs and making it 11-0. Central Arkansas added a run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Zeb Allen, and two more in the eighth on a two-run homer by Allen.

Allen finished 1-for-2 with a home run, a sacrifice fly and three RBIs. Laidley was 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Schattle went 3-for-6 with two RBIs. Ross had three hits in five at-bats and drove in a run. Denton added a triple and an RBI.

Bellarmine scored its only two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Sawyer Pace and Charlie Rife singled, Nick Gnardellis walked, and Landon Akers singled through the left side, driving in two. But Hamilton struck out the next batter to end the inning, and JB Williams pitched a scoreless eighth with one strikeout.

Bellarmine starter Raygan New took the loss, allowing five runs (none earned) in 1 2/3 innings. Four relievers combined for 7 1/3 innings, allowing eight runs on nine hits. Drew Jennings gave up one earned run in 1 2/3 innings, and Jaxson Howard pitched a scoreless sixth.

The Knights managed seven hits, with Akers, Pace, Rife, Luke Scales, Nick Gnardellis and Sawyer Pace each getting one. Central Arkansas had 14 hits.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Central Arkansas 8, Bellarmine 4, and the Interstat ELO system gave the Bears a 60.80 percent probability to win.