COLUMBIA, Ky. – The outcome looked bleak in the first inning as St. Catharine (Ky.) took a 5-0 lead, but the Lindsey Wilson softball team got hot late and carried it over to game two for an 8-5 and 9-0 sweep of the Patriots on Thursday at Lindsey Wilson Park.

Right fielder Andrea Whelan led the way in game one, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs on three doubles, while shortstop Madison Scott took over in game two, finishing 2 for 2 with the game-ending home run in the sixth inning to finish with three RBIs.

Lauren Seibert struggled starting in the opener, allowing five runs on two hits with two hit batters, a walk and giving up a single. A run scored on the single and a hit batter before Cara Law entered with one out.

Law walked her first batter and gave up a single to bring in two more runs, but shut down the bats over the next three innings before Jordan Hood entered with the Blue Raiders trailing 5-3 in the fifth. Lindsey Wilson had answered with three runs in the first with the help of Kristina Krupinski's two-run homer, but had gone quiet since.

The Blue Raider bats finally came alive again in time to lead Hood (3-0) to the win. Five runs in all crossed in their half of the fifth inning on five hits, including a two-run blast from third baseman Lauren Payne.

Now up 8-5, Hood kept the Patriots quiet over the next two frames, going three up, three down to finish with five strikeouts in just 2-2/3 innings.

St. Catharine threatened again in the first inning of game two, getting runners on first and second with a stolen base and walk, but starter Cheyanne Knepper (6-0) came through with two strikeouts to end the chance. Lindsey Wilson answered with Ali Hart leading off and scoring on a groundout to lead 1-0.

Knepper pitched all six innings, allowing just five hits with 10 strikeouts as St. Catharine failed to score in the game. The Blue Raiders added three more runs in the third, two in the fifth and three in the sixth to bring the game to an early run-rule close.

Pinch hitter Abbi Goedde drove two runs in with a two-RBI single in the third and Scott's three-run shot in the sixth scored Whelan who had singled up the middle and Krupinski who had singled through the hole at second.

Lindsey Wilson improves to 16-2 overall and 2-0 in Mid-South Conference play after sweeping its league opener. St. Caharine, also playing its first conference series, drops to 6-8 overall and 0-2 in the MSC.

The Blue Raiders return to MSC play in a hurry, travelling to UVa.-Wise at 3 p.m. CT on Friday in Wise, Va.