OWENSBORO, KY - Big time players make big time plays, and
Braden Vinyard came through in the clutch on Sunday. After Wesleyan fell 7-1 in the opener,
Braden Vinyard saw himself at the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the tenth. On the first pitch he saw, Vinyard launched a ball to left centerfield to score
Rowan Teran, winning the game 7-6 in extras.
Kentucky Wesleyan moves to 14-21 (12-6 G-MAC), while Trevecca Nazarene now sits at 20-15 (13-7 G-MAC).
Game One
The opening game saw the Panther offense struggle, as they were held hitless for the first three innings. The no hitter was broken up by
Noah Davis in the fourth, as he hit a solo shot to left center to cut the Trojan lead to just 3-1. Trevecca slowly pulled away, scoring two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to get the win.
Noah Davis had two of Wesleyan's four hits in the game, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Brayden Bush (2-3) struck out four in the loss.
Game Two
The second game was a roller coaster. Wesleyan took the lead in the second inning after
Cade Moore hit a big 3 RBI double to score
Kyle Werries,
Rowan Teran, and
Nick Wimber. Wesleyan's 3-0 lead was cut to 3-2 after two RBI singles from the Trojans in the top of the third.
A sacrifice fly from Werries to score
Braxton French in the sixth extended the lead to 4-2, but four runs in the top of the seventh from the Trojans quickly silenced the home crowd.
Down 6-4 in the bottom of the eighth, French laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt in an attempt to advance
Cade Moore and
Noah Davis. Due to French's speed, the Trevecca Nazarene pitcher rushed his throw, and the error allowed both Moore and Davis to score, tying the game at 6-6.
On the mound, Owensboro native
Nick Judd was on his game late, as he he notched eight straight outs to close the game, keeping Wesleyan alive. In the top of the 10th, with
Rowan Teran placed on second due to extra inning rules,
Cade Moore grounded out to second to advance Teran to third and in a prime position to score. Fearing their bats, the Trojans intentionally walked both
Noah Davis and
Braxton French, loading the bases.
Braden Vinyard came in and did what he had to do, hitting a big single to left center to score Teran and win in walkoff fashion.
For the game,
Cade Moore was 2-for-5 with three RBI's and a run scored, while
Kyle Werries was 1-for-3 with both an RBI and a run scored.
Nick Judd (2-2) closed out the game extremely strong, as in three innings on the mound he allowed just one hit while striking out three.
The Panthers will be back in action at Panther Park next weekend when they host G-MAC leaders Ashland on Saturday and Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for noon both days.
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