OWENSBORO, Ky. – The Kentucky Wesleyan College baseball team bounced back with a pair of dominant wins over Davis & Elkins on Friday, defeating the Senators 12-3 and 13-1 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference doubleheader. With the two wins the Panthers improve to 16-17 overall and 5-5 in the conference.
Game One: Davis & Elkins 3 – Kentucky Wesleyan 12
The Panthers scored four runs in the bottom of the second and that's all it took in game one. After a walk, hit by pitch and walk loaded the bases with no outs, Cody Bridges drove in Cody Jackson to put Kentucky Wesleyan on the board. Seth Campbell cleared the bases with a two-run triple to center field. Adam Brown capped off the scoring with a double to left field, bringing home Campbell.
Kentucky Wesleyan tacked on three runs over the next two innings with Joseph Burke, Josh Galvan and Andrew Kirkland each driving in one.
In the bottom of the fifth the Panthers scored four runs off of four hits to extend its lead to 11-0. Brown drove in Galvan with a single to left field and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Kirkland utilized a fielding error by the first basemen to score a run of his own, and Jackson ripped a one-run triple to center field.
Burke hit his first home run of the season in bottom of the fifth, a one-run shot to left field.
The Senators scored one run in the seventh and two in the ninth but it was too little too late.
Ryan Hundley earned his fourth win of the season, striking out three and allowing one run off of five hits in 7.0 innings. In 2.0 innings of relief, Allen Howe allowed two runs off of two hits.
Kirkland led the Panthers with three hits in game one while Galvan, Burke and Brown each had two. Bridges, Campbell and Jackson tabbed one hit each. Campbell and Burke led the team with two runs batted in.
Game Two: Davis & Elkins 1 – Kentucky Wesleyan 13
Adam Brown started the scoring in game two, knocking a two-out double to centerfield, bringing home Bridges.
Davis & Elkins tied the game at one in the top of the second but the Panthers broke away with nine runs over the next two innings. Campbell hit a two-run single and Bridges cleared the bases with a triple to center field. Galvan launched his fifth home run of the season in the third, a three-run shot to right center.
The Panthers scored its final three runs in the bottom of the fifth with Campbell and Jackson tabbing one-run singles and Bridges with a one-run triple.
Zach Burton went the distance in his third win of the season, striking out two and allowing one run off of four hits in 7.0 innings.
Bridges finished game two three-for-five at the plate with two triples, four runs batted in and four runs scored himself. Campbell, Jackson, Levi Tanner and Nathan Stemle each tabbed two hits while Galvan, Brown, Kirkland and Burke recorded one a piece. Campbell and Galvan each drove in three runs.
The two teams will complete the weekend series on Saturday with a doubleheader set for 12 pm CT.
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