NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Trevecca (10-11, 1-1 G-MAC) split the opening Great Midwest Athletic Conference double header of the year with Kentucky Wesleyan College (11-5, 1-1), dropping the opener 1-0 and returning the favor with a 5-3 win in game two.

The two teams will play a double header again on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. The games were originally scheduled as home games for the Panthers in Owensboro, Ky., but due to field conditions brought on by the extreme weather; the series was moved to Trevecca's Jackson Field. The games are still considered as home games for KWC, meaning the Panthers bat in the bottom half of each inning.

Coach Schmalz Postgame Interview Video

Nick Kristinus (FR/Murfreesboro, Tenn.)tgame Interview Video

GAME ONE

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Kentucky Wesleyan scored the games only run in the bottom of the fifth and supported a terrific pitching performance from starter Matt Pobereyko.

Pobereyko (4-1) pitched through the eighth inning to get the win. He sat down 12 Trojans on strikes and limited Trevecca to three hits. Kittel came on to get the save with two strikeouts in the ninth.

Michael Purcell (SR/New Johnsonville, Tenn.) was a tough luck loser (2-1) after going eight strong innings for the Trojans. Purcell sat down nine Panthers on strikes and allowed just one run with two walks and eight hits.

KWC outhit the Trojans 8-4 and had two errors. In all, the games three pitchers combined for 23 strikeouts and there were no extra base hits by either team.

The Panther run in the fifth materialized after catcher Jeremy Cline singled through the gap between third and short. Cline advanced to second on a stolen base. An out later Michael Hellmueller singled up the middle, moving Cline to third. A third single, this time from Dennon Koziol, scored Cline from third.

Tyler Tichenor (JR/Centertown, Ky) (2-4) and Zach Tompkins (JR/Mt. Juliet, Tenn.)4) each had two hits, the only two Trojans with hits in the game.

GAME TWO

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Trevecca scored a pair of runs in the third, but KWC score one in the fourth and two in the fifth for a 3-2 lead. Trevecca tied the game with a single run in the sixth, then a pair of game-winning runs in the seventh.

Each team committed an error that led to a pair of key runs.

Trevecca aided KWC first with an throwing error on what might have been a inning-ending double play in the fifth. Trevecca starter John Bolton (SO/Nolensville, Tenn.) hit Josh Galvan with a pitch and got Tyler Howard on strikes. Bolton got Hellmueller to hit a comebacker, but as Bolton threw, the ball skipped off the dirt and into the outfield. What looked like a potential inning-ending double play resulted in a pair of runs eventually scoring, giving the Panthers a 3-2 lead late.

In the top of the seventh, of a 3-3 ball game, Chad Sutton (FR/Independence, Mo.)w a two-out walk and moved to second on a wild pitch to Hunter Newman (JR/Chapmansboro, Tenn.). After Sutton advanced, KWC walked Newman to make way for Nick Kristinus. On a 2-0 pitch, Kristinus lined on to right field that got past the right fielder Seth Sharp, scoring both runners, giving Trevecca a 5-3 lead.

Sharp had just entered the game for Chad Klein, who was ejected in the bottom of the sixth reacting to being called out on a batter interference ruling by the home plate umpire. 

Austin Sisk (JR/Kodak, Tenn. ) (4-0) picked up the win with two innings of one hit ball.

Hunter Newman collected a pair of hits while Kristinus drove in three runs and Tichenor and Ethan Hurt (SO/Pegram, Tenn.) each drove in a run. Newman hit his 10th double while Hurt connected on his eighth. Carter Wiseman (FR/Hendersonville, Tenn.) hit his sixth double.