OWENSBORO, KY - After struggling last week against Lake Erie, Kentucky Wesleyan regrouped and opened up this weekend's series strong, taking down Thomas More 6-0 and 4-3.
With the wins, the Panthers improve to 11-18 (9-3 G-MAC), while Thomas More falls to 10-20 (3-13 G-MAC).
Game One
It was all Wesleyan in game one, as they out-hit the Saints 15-5 and cruised to a 6-0 victory. The Panthers methodically got the job done, as they scored two runs in the first and fifth innings, and one run in the second and fourth.
In the first inning, RBI's from
Braxton French and
Gabriel Medina put the Panthers ahead. The next inning saw
Noah Davis knock in
Rowan Teran with an RBI single.
Cade Moore extended the lead in the fourth with his team-leading 17th RBI. Wesleyan's final runs came in the fifth inning, courtesy of an RBI double from
Braden Vinyard and an RBI single from
Cade Gudalis.
Leading the way at the plate for the Panthers was
Braden Vinyard, who went 3-for-4 with one run, one RBI, and three doubles. The three doubles are the second most for a Panther in a single game in recorded history.
Cade Moore,
Noah Davis,
Braxton French,
Cade Gudalis, and
Rowan Teran all recorded two hits in the contest.
Wesleyan didn't have to worry about run support, because starter
Seth Wright (2-2) was on his game. The senior hurler struck out eight and allowed just five hits in the shutout victory.
Game Two
Just like the first game, the Panthers scored two runs in the bottom of the first to go up early on their bluegrass counterparts.
Braxton French and
Gabriel Medina each notched RBI singles, putting the Panthers up 2-0.
Thomas More answered with one in the third, but the fourth was
Nick Wimber's inning, as he not only hit an RBI single, he also scored on a passed ball to score Wesleyan's final run of the game.
The Saints cut it to one in the seventh, but
Josh Tucker struck out the final batter of the game seal the win.
Braxton French went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while
Cade Moore was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Brayden Bush (2-2) struck out five to get the win, while
Josh Tucker's inning was enough to nab his first save of the year.
The Panthers will be back in action tomorrow when they host Thomas More for the back half of the four-game series. First pitch of the opening game is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.
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