HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. - Lauren Dale was brilliant in the circle for Truman softball once again, but after heading to the eighth inning with Kentucky Wesleyan, the Panthers scored two in the top of the eighth to go up 4-2 before the Bulldogs were retired in order for the home half.

With the loss, Truman fell to 3-5 while Kentucky Wesleyan snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 3-4 overall. Christa Reisinger continued to show no signs of a sophomore slump with a pair of hits and a run scored in the leadoff spot, Kadie Orenstein turned in her fourth-consecutive two-hit game in the six hole and Valerie Schmidt had herself two base knocks as well at the bottom of the order. The Bulldogs' two other hits came from shortstop, Jamie Fowle, and third baseman, Alyssa Rivera.

Lauren Dale (2-1) suffered a tough-luck loss with four runs given up, only one of which was earned, on seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Dale has now lasted at least seven innings in three of her five outings and in those three appearances, she has given up just three earned in 23 innings pitched to lower her season ERA to 3.86.

Kentucky Wesleyan struck first with a two-run top of the third, but Truman responded with a run of its own in the bottom half. Schmidt singled before both Reisinger and Riley Cook reached on errors to set up a bases-loaded situation for Lex Van Nostrand one out later. The senior catcher came through with a sacrifice fly to center field, Schmidt scored and the Bulldogs had cut the deficit in half, 2-1.

The Purple and White kept the pressure on in the bottom of the fifth by tying things up at 2-2 and Reisinger can be thanked for that. The sophomore sensation went yard for the 10th time of her young career and first time this season. So far this year, she is hitting an absurd .630 with 17 hits in 27 at-bats.

The score would remain tied until the top of the eighth when Kentucky Wesleyan brought in a pair on a two-run single to center off the bat of Maddie Dawson. In the next half inning after Brooke VunCannon was placed on second, Truman went three up, three down with Van Nostrand, Fowle and Orenstein.

Next up, the Bulldogs will come back to Missouri for a doubleheader at Lincoln on Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m.

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