Panthers Rally to Saturday Split at Ursuline – 14 News WFIE Evansville

PEPPER PIKE, OH (WFIE) – The Kentucky Wesleyan College softball team erased a 6-1 deficit in Saturday’s opener to force extra innings and pick-up a Great Midwest victory over Ursuline. Meredith Daunhauer drove-in the winning run to give the Panthers a 7-6 victory. Wesleyan fell 1-0 in a pitcher’s dual to split the doubleheader.

Game One: Kentucky Wesleyan – 7, Ursuline – 6: Maddie Dawson’s single in the top of the third drove-in Jamie Tempel and gave the Panthers (14-17, 7-5 G-MAC) an early 1-0 lead. The Arrows answered in the bottom half with two solo home runs to take a 2-1 lead. They added four more runs in the bottom of the fifth to build a 6-1 advantage. Wesleyan came all the back with one-out in the top of the sixth. Jaclyn Parker provided a pinch-hit double to right center that scored Caitlyn Lawson bringing the Panthers to 6-2. Andee Powell followed with an RBI single. Daunhauer’s single with two-outs in the frame made it a 6-4 ball game while Dawson tied the game shortly thereafter with a two-run single through the right side of the diamond. The Arrows were shut-down by Evyn Hendrickson in the bottom half of the inning and both teams went quietly in the seventh. Terrilynn Summers led-off the eighth with a walk and moved into scoring position after a sacrifice bunt by Powell. Tempel was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with just one out. Daunhauer plated the go-ahead-run with a sharply hit double into center field. The Arrows (8-20, 3-5 GMAC) put a runner in scoring position in the bottom half with one-out, but Hendrickson struck-out the final two batters to end the game. Hendrickson earned the win with four innings of relief. Se allowed just five hits while striking-out two. Daunhauer finished the game three for five with a double, stolen base, and two RBIs. Dawson was also three for five with three RBIs.

Game Two: Kentucky Wesleyan – 0, Ursuline – 1: A solo home run in the bottom of the first was the lone tally for the Arrows on the day. Nicole Rawlings went the distance to earn her second win of the year and the shutout. Rawlings saw runners on base in every inning, but the Panthers could not find that big hit to drive-in any runs. Summers produced two hits in three at bats while the Panthers finished with four hits in the game. Maci Brown pitched a stellar game, allowing just the one-run on four hits, with three strikeouts. She faced just 21 batters in six innings.

The Panthers are scheduled to play two more games tomorrow at Lake Erie. First pitch in Painesville, Ohio is scheduled for 11 AM CT.