HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Kentucky Wesleyan College softball team closed out opening weekend with a pair of losses to Christian Brothers on Saturday in Huntsville, Ala.

Game 1: Kentucky Wesleyan 4 – Christian Brothers 5
Meryck Hardley led off the game with a single to right field and moved into scoring position with her first stolen base of the season.  Two straight groundouts allowed Hardley to score and give Wesleyan a 1-0 lead.

Evyn Hendrickson retired the side in the bottom of the first.  After allowing a walk in the second, Hendrickson retired eight straight batters.  The Bucs got their first hit of the game on a one-out double in the bottom of the fifth.

Wesleyan loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the third after three straight singles to start the inning.  Maddie Dawson flied out to center, allowing Andee Powell to score.  Jaylin Tidwell flied out in foul territory, but Jamie Tempel tagged from third and scored, giving the Panthers a 3-0 lead after three.

Lexie Mullen extended the lead to four in the top of the sixth with a lead off home run to deep center for her first home run of the season.

Christian Brothers got one back in the bottom of the sixth.  With one out and runners on second and third, Jamie Tempel caught a fly ball in right field.  The runner on third tagged up and scored, but the runner on second was doubled up for the inning-ending out.

Trailing by three the Bucs led off the inning with a home run and strung together six hits to plate four runs and steal a 5-4 win.

Hendrickson finished with 10 strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched.  It marks the third time in her career that she recorded at least 10 strikeouts, just missing her career-high of 13.

Game 2: Christian Brothers 11 – Kentucky Wesleyan 3
The Bucs held a 8-0 lead after the third inning.  Wesleyan got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the fifth.  Tempel and Hardley started the inning with back-to-back singles before Dawson cleared the bases with a triple to deep center.  Tidwell kept the rally going with a double to center to bring home Dawson.

Christian Brothers scored one run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to take the game 11-3.

Tidwell went three-for-four in game two with one RBI.  Tempel recorded two hits while Hardley and Dawson tallied one a piece.

Woodall took the loss with eight hits and six runs in 1.1 innings.  Camryn Hamilton threw 3.2 innings with two runs off of six hits.  Hendrickson threw the final 2.0 innings, striking out three and allowing three runs off of three hits.

The Panthers will take next weekend off before heading to the Music City Invitational hosted by Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville, Tenn.  Wesleyan will take on Clarion and Illinois Springfield on February 15 followed by No. 3 Grand Valley and Mercyhurst on February 16.

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