OWENSBORO, Ky. – The Kentucky Wesleyan baseball team split two games with the Senators of Davis & Elkins on Friday at Apollo High School to open their home campaign.
Davis & Elkins got the day started with a first-inning run off Evan Oakley, but the Panthers' ace settled down from there with the help of his offense.
After Logan Molnar reached on an error and Baron Ratliff worked a walk, designated hitter Michael Chaney came up to the plate. The sophomore launched a three-run home run over the right field wall to put Wesleyan up 3-1.
Later, after Oakley had already struck out five Senators, the Panthers offense went back to work in the third. Colson Perry singled to right field and Tucker Hagan followed with a two-run home run over the right field wall to extend KWC's advantage to 5-1.
Oakley (W, 1-0) kept Davis & Elkins off the board through the sixth, completing a day of one-run ball over six innings with nine strikeouts.
Wesleyan's offense put the game away in the bottom half of the sixth. Hagan and Elijah Stockton tallied back-to-back walks to pen the frame, and Jacob Riegel followed with a sacrifice bunt to move both the runners over. Liam Hutson delivered with a two-RBI single to give the Panthers more breathing room at 7-1.
Molnar came up next and recorded his own single before Hutson and Molnar teamed up for a double steal to put runners on second and third with just one out. Rhett Dysholm came up next and ripped a two-RBI double to make the tally 9-1.
Ratliff followed with a walk and both runners advanced on a wild pitch to set up Chaney once again. Chaney worked another walk and Dysholm was able to score on the fourth ball wild pitch before Perry delivered a sacrifice fly that scored Ratliff and put KWC up 10 at 11-1.
Weston Miller came on to close the game out. The sophomore worked around a walk and an error to finalize the Panthers' home-opening triumph.
Game two did not go the way of Wesleyan. Davis & Elkins scored two in the top of the second, but Luke Renfrow responded with a solo shot to pull the Panthers within one at 2-1 in the bottom of the third. The Senators added four more runs in each of the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings for a total of 14 runs in their victory.
KWC did manage to plate two more in the bottom of the fourth. Molnar and Dysholm led off with singles before Chaney logged a single of his own to score Molnar. Hagan followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Dysholm, but that was all the Panthers could muster.
David Castleberry did tally a strong relief appearance with three strikeouts and zero hits allowed in 1.1 innings.
Wesleyan returns to Apollo High School for two more tomorrow against the Senators. The first pitch of the doubleheader will be at 10:00 AM.
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