MEMPHIS - The Rhodes College softball team opened their conference season with a pair of wins over the Birmingham-Southern Panthers, winning 8-3 and 5-4 to clinch the series on Saturday afternoon at the Lynx Softball Complex.

For the Lynx, it is their first win over BSC in eight tries with their last win coming on March 9, 2014. It is the first time they have won a series over the Panthers since taking three out of four at home in 2013, the only other time they took a series from BSC. 

In the first game, the jumped out to a 3-0 lead as sophomore Katelynn Bresler singled home the first run of the game followed by a two RBI double by senior Christine Hume to take the three run lead.

The Panthers got one back in the fourth, but Rhodes blew the game wide open in the fifth inning as sophomore Jill Healy led it off with a bomb to center field for the 4-1 lead.

The Lynx then loaded the bases where sophomore Kendall Henry singled home a run followed by RBIs by junior Kirsten Samuels, sophomore Kylle Cahill-Patray, and senior Aubrey Blackstock to take an 8-1 lead.

BSC got two back in the seventh off a home run, but it was nowhere close to enough as Rhodes took the first game. 

Sophomore Bri Maniscalco was excellent in the circle, pitching a complete game and allowing only two earned runs on eight hits while striking out one. She moves to 4-3 on the season.

Hume was 2-for-3 with a double, a RBI, and a run scored while Healy was 2-for-3 with the homer, a RBI, and two runs scored. The first four batters in the lineups all scored a run.

In the second game, the Panthers would take a lead only for Rhodes to respond immediately in the bottom half. 

After three innings of scoreless ball, the Panthers took a 1-0 lead on a long home run. After a triple by Hume, Henry responded with a RBI single up the middle to tie things up.

The Panthers went ahead 2-1 in the sixth off another home run, but Samuels had an answer this time, scoring Hume on a RBI single following a double by the senior. 

BSC looked as though they were going to escape with a win, scoring two in the seventh for the 4-2 lead, but Rhodes went to work in the bottom half. 

Freshman Anna Kula singled down the left field line followed by Healy being hit by a pitch. After a fly out, junior Caroline Sutton singled home a run to move it within one run. A throwing error by the Panthers on aggressive base running scored Healy to tie things up at four.

After a walk to the dangerous Hume, Rhodes walked it off with a RBI single from Henry to clinch the game and the series.

Junior Allison Long got the start, pitching six complete and allowing three runs on six hits while freshman Shannon Tierney pitched the seventh, earning the win in the process despite allowing on run on one hit.

Hume finished 2-for-3 with a double, triple, and two runs scored while Henry was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Samuels, Bresler, Kula, And Sutton were all 1-for-3 with Kula and Healy scoring a run.

The Lynx will look to sweep the Panthers for the first time in school history tomorrow afternoon in the final matchup slated for 12 PM.