OWENSBORO, Ky. (April 2) – The Tigers were defeated in all four meetings with Kentucky Wesleyan in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) action Friday and Saturday afternoons.
 
The Salem International University baseball team drops to 4-23 overall, 0-8 in league play this season. Meanwhile, the Panthers improve to 7-1 in the G-MAC, 16-10 overall.
 
GAME 1: Kentucky Wesleyan 12, Salem International 4
The Tigers rallied to tie the game in the fifth inning at 3-3, but a six-run eighth inning by the Panthers pulled the game out of reach in game one Friday afternoon.
 
Salem International trailed 3-0, when junior right fielder Matthew Flores (King City, Calif./King City) got the Tigers on the board in the fifth with a RBI-double. After another run scored on a balk, junior catcher Sean Deviney (Lehigh Acres, Fla./Riverdale) delivered a sacrifice fly to tie the game.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan responded with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Flores connected on another RBI-double in the seventh inning to make the score 6-4, but the Panthers plated six in the eighth to pull away.
 
Flores led the team at the plate with two doubles, two RBI and one run scored. Senior second baseman Santino Alteri (Watertown, N.Y./Immaculate Heart Central) chipped in two hits and a run scored, while senior left fielder Joe Drago (Albany, Ind./Delta) added a hit and a run scored.
 
Senior pitcher Colton Lankford (Rowlett, Texas/Rowlett) was tagged with the loss. He allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits with three strikeouts over five innings on the mound.
 
GAME 2: Kentucky Wesleyan 8, Salem International 2
The Panthers earned the sweep on Friday with an 8-2 win.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan plated three in the second inning and two in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead. The Tigers collected four hits in the sixth inning to score twice, but a 4-6-3 double play ended the threat and preserved the Panther lead.
 
As they did seemingly all afternoon, Kentucky Wesleyan answered back in the bottom of the inning with three insurance runs to push the lead to 8-2 and help clinch the game.
 
Junior Talon Kunkel (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Centennial Collegiate) fell to 1-5 this season after yielding three runs on three hits with one strikeout over two innings on the rubber.
 
Flores and Alteri each collected RBI hits in the game, with Drago and junior third baseman Trent Dalton (Logan, W.Va./Logan) scoring the two runs.

GAME 3: Kentucky Wesleyan 17, Salem International 5

GAME 4: Kentucky Wesleyan 16, Salem International 2