Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Kentucky Wesleyan jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back as the Panther's defeated Salem International, 9-4, on Friday morning in the first of two contests in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference winner's bracket in Vienna, WVa. In the afternoon, No. 2 seed KWC lost to No. 1 Trevecca Nazarene, 5-2, to send the Panther's to the loser's bracket championship game on Saturday.
 
#2 Kentucky Wesleyan vs. #6 Salem International
Kentucky Wesleyan College advanced to the winners bracket championship game where they will face #1 Trevecca for a spot in the G-MAC Softball Championship Finals after they defeated #6 Salem International University, 9-4, in the second game of the winners bracket.

The Panthers took an early lead in the top of the first as Kaci Ovelgoenner hit a two run shot to put the Panthers up 2-0. The Tigers made some great defensive stops in the top of the second as they tried to change the momentum of the game. Kayla Guta had a diving grab at second base to make the play on Casey Smith at first and then Summer Clark then made an amazing diving grab in foul territory for the second out of the inning.

The Panthers picked up a third run in the top of the third as Miller started the inning with a hit to left field that she stretched into a double with some great hustle and heads up base running. Ashley Crooke also doubled in the inning scoring Miller.

The Panthers extended the lead to 5-0 in the fourth, and in the bottom of the inning Salem was close to cutting into the lead with three hits, but no runs. In the top of the fifth Casey Smith hit a two run homerun to increase Kentucky Wesleyan's lead to 7-1, basically securing the win for KWC. Each team added a couple more runs to close out the 9-4 win for the Panthers.

While KWC advances to face Trevecca Nazarene later in the day, Salem was forced to play the very next contest against Davis & Elkins with the loser being eliminated from the tournament.
 
#1 Trevecca Nazarene vs. #2 Kentucky Wesleyan
With a spot in the championship round and a game advantage going into the finals on the line, the top two seeds faced off against each other in game eleven of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Softball Championships. #1 Trevecca Nazarene and #2 Kentucky Wesleyan each came into the game without a loss in the tournament, but only the defending champion Trojans left with the perfect mark, topping KWC 5-2.

After two and half scoreless innings, Trevecca Nazarene grabbed the lead as Ansley Brantley scored on an RBI single to shallow left field by Lindsay Stephens. Kentucky Wesleyan third baseman Ashley Crooke made a great grab and tag later in the inning at third base to save a run from scoring and keeping the Panthers close.

Kentucky Wesleyan responded in the top of the fourth as they capitalized on multiple errors by TNU. Amber Pendergraft reached base on an error and advanced to third on the very next play on another defensive mistake. She scored on a fielder's choice by Ashley Crooke to tie the game at one.

The Panthers scored the go ahead run in the top of the fifth on a single to right field by Amber Pendergraft that scored Baumgart. However, the Trojans sealed the victory with a four-run explosion in the bottom of the inning.

Jordan Griner came to the plate first for Trevecca and drilled a home run over the left field fence to tie the game, lighting a fire under the Trojans. Kelsey Kemp singled to left and then stole second as she caught the Panthers off guard. An infield single by Lindsay Stephens put runners on the corners and Leding kept things going as she drilled a double off the shin of third baseman Crooke scoring Kemp for the go ahead run.

Trevecca added two more in the inning and took a 5-2 lead heading into the sixth inning. Haley Fagan closed out the game holding the three run lead and picked up the win for Trevecca to put her team into the finals, as TNU looks to win its second-straight G-MAC title.