OWENSBORO, KY - For the first time in six years, the Kentucky Wesleyan Baseball team played a 13-inning game. Unlike that 2017 contest against Maryville, Wesleyan was unable to get the win in this one, falling 11-10 to the Hillsdale Chargers. Wesleyan was tired out from the opener and fell 8-2 in game two.
Wesleyan now sits at 8-14 (3-3 G-MAC), while Hillsdale improves to 8-12 (3-3 G-MAC).
Game One
The bats were on fire in the opener, as the teams combined for 21 runs on 27 hits. Wesleyan got it started early, as
Jaret Humphrey hit an RBI single early in the first inning to score
Brandon Valdez.
Zach Curtis did what he does best in the next at bat, hitting a three-run bomb to make it a 4-0 game after one.
Bryce Zupan got in on the fun in the second inning, starting the inning with a solo home run to put Wesleyan up 5-1. A big third inning from the Chargers tied the game up, but an RBI from
Braxton French and a
Sammy Rowan scamper home on a passed ball put Wesleyan right back on top.
Down 8-7 in the fifth, Wesleyan tied it up on an RBI double from
Zach Curtis. Thanks to a throwing error that put Curtis on third,
Sammy Rowan singled him home on the next bat to give the Panthers the lead. Hillsdale added two more in the seventh to retake the lead, but
Bryce Zupan answered with an RBI in the bottom of the eighth to tie things up at 10.
The pitching battle began in the eighth, as Wesleyan's
Seth Wright and Hillsdale's Zach Barnart went to work. Over the course of the next five innings, they combined to allow just four hits and struck out 20. The breakthrough came in the 13th when Hillsdale's Joe Hardenbergh hit a solo shot over the centerfield fence to give the Chargers the lead. Wesleyan was unable to answer and Hillsdale took the win.
Zach Curtis went 2-for-6 with 4 RBI's and 2 runs scored, while
Sammy Rowan and
Braxton French each added two hits of their own.
Despite the loss
Seth Wright (1-2) was fantastic, striking out 12 and allowing just three hits and one run in 6.2 innings of action.
Game Two
Despite an early 1-0 lead thanks to a
Nick Wimber RBI, Wesleyan struggled in game two, only tallying four hits in the game. Up 3-1, Hillsdale scored five runs in the top of the sixth to blow the game open.
Zach Curtis hit an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, but Hillsdale shut down the Panthers late to take the win.
Zach Curtis went 1-for-3 in the game with an RBI.
Evan Oakley (2-2) struck out five in the loss.
Wesleyan will look to get the series split tomorrow when they take on Hillsdale in another doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT. at Panther Park.
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