Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Coming off an Oakland City series where they scored 25 runs, Kentucky Wesleyan softball looked to push their winning streak to eight games.
KWC accomplished their goal of winning eight straight, sweeping Ursuline (7-13, 0-8), 6-1 and 7-1. The two wins for KWC pushed their overall record to 13-6 and helped them to a 5-0 start in Great Midwest Athletic Conference play.
Courtney Lockwood was 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored in game one, while
Kaci Ovelgoenner blasted her third home run of the season to left field in game two.Â
Casey Smith and
Josalyn Ress both pitched complete games for their wins.
GAME ONE – KWC 6, Ursuline 1
Both teams started slowly, with neither team scoring in the first two innings. The first rain delay of the game happened with Wesleyan at bat in the second and lasted approximately fifteen minutes.
Ursuline would strike first, scoring a run in the top of the third to go ahead 1-0.  The Panthers finally broke through, in a big way, in the fifth inning.
Mackenzie Weedman hit a one out single and moved to second two batters later on a walk to Smith. The next batter, Lockwood, roped a single up the middle, scoring Weedman and tying the game at one.
Back-to-back walks to
Alexis Chapman and
Kayla Norris gave KWC a 2-1 lead and
Amber Pendergraft would clear the bases with a triple into the left center field gap to make the score 5-1. Pendergraft would score on the very next hitter when
Samantha Marksbury singled through the left side to make it 6-1.
That would be all the run support Smith would need, as she retired the final six batters in order to seal the win. Smith's victory was number six on the season for her, as she allowed just three hits and a run in the complete game with six K's.
GAME TWO – KWC 7, Ursuline 1
The second game repeated the first game in terms of start. Ursuline would score first again, tallying a single run in the fourth inning. The Panthers would respond in that same inning to go ahead 4-1.
Ovelgoenner hit her third home run of the season over the left field wall to tie the game at one leading off the inning. Following a Weedman single, a fielder's choice by
Ashley Crooke, in which both runners were safe and a sac bunt,
Jessica Carmon came to the plate with the chance to give the Panthers a lead.
Carmon did just that, lacing a double to center field that scored both Weedman and Crooke and made the score 3-1. Carmon would score two batters later on a sac fly by
Kayla Norris.
KWC would add three more runs in the sixth on singles from Pendergraft and Weedman, sandwiched around a sac fly by Ovelgoenner to bring the score to the final margin of 7-1. Ress earned her sixth win of the season, scattering eight hits and allowing just one run with six K's in the complete game.
The Panthers will try to complete their three game series with Ursuline tomorrow morning. First pitch is set for 10 a.m. due to the threat of inclement weather.
Â
