Box Score A four run sixth inning, capped by
Jordan Fortner's first home run of the season, led Kentucky Wesleyan to a sweep of Claflin University.
KWC (4-2) scored one run each in the fourth and fifth innings before exploding for four runs in the sixth to cap the sweep. The Panthers added an additional run in the eighth to bring the score to the final total of 7-1.
Troy Paris got the scoring started for KWC with an RBI single in the fourth that scored
Dennon Koziol and put the Panthers on top, 1-0. Claflin (1-12), would answer with their only run of the contest in the bottom of the inning.
KWC took the lead for good in the fifth on
Josh Vance's RBI single that chased home
Chad Klein and made it 2-1. Holding Claflin down in the bottom half, Panthers starting pitcher
Matt Lasley got more run support in the top of the sixth.
Josh Galvin singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on a single by Jonathan Eberhardt. KWC would go up 3-1 on Paris' second RBI single of the day on the next at bat.
Following Paris' single,
Andrew Kirkland brought in Eberhardt with an RBI single that made the score 4-1. Two batters later, Fortner popped his first homer of the season, a two-run blast, to make it 6-1 through six innings of play.
Vance would drive in Klein for KWC's seventh run to take the score to 7-1 and that would finish the game for the Panthers. Lasley picked up the win, going seven strong innings, allowing just five hits and one unearned run with four strikeouts;
Sammy Holder finished the game, allowing one hit and one walking while striking out three in the final two frames.
The Panthers have the next weekend off before they head to Florida for their Spring Break trip, which begins with a game against Ashland University on March 8. First pitch of that game from Auburndale, Fla., is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. CT.
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