HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. — Ohio Dominican's softball team suffered a pair of setbacks on Saturday, falling 3-1 to Truman State and 7-6 in nine innings to Kentucky Wesleyan at the Music City Invitational.

In the opener, the Panthers recorded nine hits in the contest and held Truman to just six hits.

Junior Taylor Kline (Bellville, Ohio) led the way for ODU, going 2-for-3 with one RBI, one stolen base and also accrued one walk. Sophomore Maria Simmonds (Columbus, Ohio) also went 2-for-3, and freshman Cameron Barber (Powell, Ohio) finished 2-for-3 while also pitching six innings for the Panthers, allowing just three runs, all the in the first inning.

Truman jumped out to a 3-0 lead through the first inning, but an RBI single by Kline to left center field in the top of the third scored Simmonds and cut ODU's deficit to 3-1. But the Panthers could not drive any more runs home for the remainder of the contest.

In game two, ODU fell behind 3-0 in the third before responding in the fourth. Junior Bailey Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio) walked to lead off the inning, then later came in to score on a wild pitch. An infield single by freshman Taylor Farmer (Mt. Blanchard, Ohio) scored Barber, and junior Liz Sutter (Mansfield, Ohio) followed with an RBI basehit that brought home Simmonds to tie the game at 3-3.

The Panthers followed with another three run inning in the fifth. Freshman Landry Slider (Stow, Ohio) drove an RBI single into right center, freshman Brooklyn Rayburn (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) had a fielder's choice RBI, and Kline had an RBI single to put ODU in front 6-3.

Kentucky Wesleyan countered with three runs of its own in the sixth, though, then won the game with a single tally in the ninth.

Kline and Slider had two hits apiece for the Panthers, while Barber scored twice.

ODU concludes play at the Music City Invitational with a doubleheader on Sunday, taking on McKendree at 10 a.m. (CT) and Bellarmine at noon (CT).

Contact: Aaron McPherson
mcphersa@ohiodominican.edu