LOUISVILLE, Ky.­ – The Kentucky Wesleyan College softball team opened its 2017 campaign in Louisville, Ky. on Saturday, suffering a pair of losses to Findlay and Bellarmine in a doubleheader.  The Panthers drop to 0-2 on the young season and will face the same two teams tomorrow.

Game One: Kentucky Wesleyan 4 – Findlay 7 (8 innings)

The Panthers held a 4-2 lead after five innings of play, but a late rally from the Oilers handed Kentucky Wesleyan their first loss of the season.

Jaylin Tidwell led off the bottom of the second inning with a double to left center field and advanced to third on a single from Alexis Mullen.  Two batters later, Tidwell scored on a single to right center from Jaclyn Parker.  With the bases loaded and one out, Mallory Nease scored on a wild pitch to put the Panthers ahead 2-0.

Findlay scored once in the third and once in the fifth to knot the game at two.  With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Kentucky Wesleyan knocked three hits to score two runs.  Maddie Dawson drew a walk, stole second, and scored on a single to right field from Tidwell.  With runners on first and second, Nease ripped a double to left field, scoring Tidwell to regain a two-run lead.

The Oilers scored one run each in the sixth and seventh innings to force extra innings.  In the top of the eighth, Findlay scored two runs off of a single with two runners in scoring position.  Kentucky Wesleyan's bats went cold, going one-two-three in the final three innings.

Tidwell finished game one three-for-four at the plate, scoring twice and driving in one.  Mullen went two-for-four while Nease and Parker finished with one hit a piece.  Casey Smith got the start on the mound and went 5.0 innings, striking out three and allowed three runs off of four hits.  Jessica Carmon took over in the sixth, finishing the game and suffering her first loss of the season after allowing four runs off of six hits.

Game Two: Kentucky Wesleyan 1 – Bellarmine 2

The Knights took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to left field.  Mullen led off the top of the second with a double to center field and advanced to third after Courtney Lockwood reached on a fielding error by the centerfielder.

Parker executed a sacrifice bunt to put two runners in scoring position with one out.  Two batter later, Jamie Tempel knocked a double to center field to score Lockwood and cut the deficit to one.  A strong defensive battle held for the final six innings saw a combined five base runners for both teams.

Bellarmine threatened to extend their lead in the bottom half of the inning, getting the bases loaded with one out but a fielder's choice and pop up would end the inning.

Mullen finished game two two-for-three at the plate, the only Panthers to tab more than one hit.  Meredith Daunhauer, Tidwell and Tempel had one hit each.  Maci Brown went the distance, striking out four and allowing one walk in 6.0 innings pitched.

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