KOKOMO, Ind. - The IU Kokomo baseball team made their home debut Friday afternoon with a doubleheader against the #6 ranked Bulldogs of Tennessee Wesleyan. The Cougars dropped both games, but will return to Kokomo Municipal Stadium Saturday afternoon looking to even the four-game series with TWU.

Game 1: 9-8 Loss

• TWU led off the game with a solo-shot from their leadoff-man to give them an early lead.
• IU Kokomo immediately responded as Tucker Platt drew a walk in front of Kasey Ross, who hit a two-run homer to left-center in his first AB at Kokomo Municipal Stadium. IUK led 2-1 after one.
• The Bulldogs added a solo-shot in the fourth to tie the game before a two-run homer of their own gave them a 4-2 lead in the fifth.
• Jack Leverenz was hit-by-pitch to leadoff the home half of the fifth, eventually scoring on a Riley Garczynski sacrifice fly.
• Tennessee Wesleyan got the two-run lead right back with a single run in the sixth before they added three in the seventh to lead 8-3.
• Leverenz singled in the seventh and his pinch runner, Blake Kimball, came around to score on a wild pitch.
• Neither side managed to score in the eighth, but TWU added an insurance run in the ninth to lead 9-4 through eight and a half.
• The Cougars refused to go down quietly, rallying for four runs on two hits and one TWU error. The ninth inning inning magic ran out with IUK trailing by one, ending the comeback bid and handing TWU a 9-8 game one win.
• Ben Harris got the start for the Cougars, tossing five innings and surrendering four runs on five hits and a pair of walks.
• Jack Bruington entered in relief of Harris, tossing three innings with three strikeouts.
• Owen Harvey pitched the ninth, allowing an earned run on one walk and one HBP.

Game 2: 17-5 Loss

• TWU once again struck first with a run in the first, but IU Kokomo immediately answered once again, this time with three in the first to lead after an inning. Dylan Steele came through with a two-RBI single for the Cougars before a Jacob Medvescek ground-out scored another.
• The Bulldogs exploded for five runs in the third, regaining a 6-3 lead they would not surrender.
• By the time IU Kokomo scored again in the sixth, TWU held a 12-3 lead. 
• Derek Seigneur recorded an RBI-single in the sixth before Tahj Borom doubled down the left-field line to score another and cut the deficit to seven.
• Tennessee Wesleyan scored five in the eight before holding the Cougars scoreless, closing out a 17-5 run-rule victory.
• Mason Whiteley got the start and went two and two-thirds, allowing six runs (five earned) on four hits and three walks.
• Alec Murphy, AJ Burkhalter, and Tyler Hensch combined to close out the game out of the pen.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.