MAYFIELD, Ky. - The Mid-Continent University softball team played their first home games in nearly a month on Tuesday afternoon, but even playing before their home fans was not enough to improve their fortunes.

Bethel (6-11, 3-3) touched up Mid-Continent (2-18, 1-7) for 19 runs on the day in just 12 innings of play, as the Lady Wildcats took a pair of wins from the Cougars, 11-2 and 8-3.

Bethel took full advantage of a Mid-Continent error in the first inning of game one, tallying three unearned runs against Mid-Continent starter Lindsey Rucker to take a 3-0 lead. In the second frame, Bethel's Brooklyn Jenkins broke the game open, launching a two-out, three-run homer to left field, and her teammate Shelby Evans blasted a solo homer just three pitches later to push the Lady 'Cats lead to 7-0. Colby Smith ripped an RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, scoring Christina Winsett to get Mid-Continent on the board, and the teams traded runs in the fourth, making the score 8-2 going to the fifth. Bethel added three runs in the fifth frame, pushing their advantage to 11-2, and after a leadoff walk to Lindsey Rucker, the Cougars went quietly in the bottom of the inning, leaving Bethel with the run-rule win, 11-2.

Kathryn Kreuziger (1-2) picked up the win for Bethel, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks in five innings, striking out two. Rucker gave up eight runs - five earned - on 13 hits before being lifted with no one out in the fourth, taking the loss in the process. Rucker, Anna Maziarka, and Christina Winsett had hits for Mid-Continent, with Winsett scoring a run and driving in another, which was scored by Maziarka.

Mid-Continent got off to a better start in game two, with Rucker pitching out of a jam in the top of the first without allowing a run. In the bottom of the frame, Winsett drew a leadoff walk, and with two out, Rachel Brueggeman (3) lined a two-run homer to left-center, giving Mid-Continent the early 2-0 lead. Bethel tied the game in the top of the third, blasting a two-run homer to tie the game at 2-2. Jenkins smacked her third homer of the day with one out in the top of the fifth inning, giving Bethel a lead they would hold the rest of the game. The blast came as a part of a three-run frame that put Bethel ahead 5-2. Maziarka drove in Jenavera Gibson with a two-out double in the bottom of the fifth, but the Cougars managed only to pull within two at 5-3 before the frame was over. Bethel added two runs in the sixth, and another in the seventh to push their lead to 8-3, which would be the final score.

Elizabeth Brooks (3-4) earned the victory, allowing three earned runs on four hits, four walks, and five strikeouts over seven innings. Rucker (1-11) took the loss, yielding five runs - three earned - on seven hits in four and two-thirds innings. Maziarka, Smith, and Bry Navarro each had hits for Mid-Continent in the game. Jenkins finished the day for Bethel 4-for-7 with a double, three homers, four runs scored, and seven RBIs.

Mid-Continent will hit the road on Thursday afternoon, heading to St. Louis, Mo. to take on the Harris-Stowe State University Hornets (5-13, 1-3). First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.