LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ohio Dominican's baseball team started the 2011 campaign with a split in its opening two contests at Bellarmine (Ky.) University, defeating the Knights 2-1 in game one before falling 3-2 in the second game Saturday in Knights Field.

Senior Germaine McAlpine (Canton, Ohio) had four of the team's six hits on the afternoon, while senior Zane Miller (London, Ohio) picked up the game one victory in relief of sophomore starter Alex Borgan (Pickerington, Ohio), with senior Kyle Gore (Solon, Ohio) sealing the game with a perfect seventh.

Borgan yielded a run in the first, but was able to escape further damage by leaving the bases loaded after inducing a popout to junior first baseman Bobby Franks (Portage, Mich.). Despite scuffling with his control, allowing five walks, Borgan limited the Knights to just two hits in his 4.1 innings.

The Panthers, after stranding runners in the third and fourth innings, finally cracked the score column in the sixth. Senior JT Feldkamp (Lorain, Ohio) reached on an error, and junior Austin Grate (Fort Wayne, Ind.) was hit by a pitch. A balk with one out advanced the pair to second and third, and both came in to score on a throwing error that accounted for ODU's runs in the game.

Miller would strike out a pair in the sixth as he retired all five hitters he faced, and Gore finished off the game with a strikeout of his own.

The Panthers could not complete the sweep after another late inning rally fell just short. The Panthers got on the board in the top half of the first with junior Evan Shaw (Delaware, Ohio) singling to lead off the game, advancing to second on a groundout, and coming in to score on a pair of wild pitches.

The Knights answered with single runs in both the first and second innings off junior starter Erik Lamka (Troy, Ohio) in his ODU debut to take a 2-1 lead. Lamka was able to keep Bellarmine in check the rest of his outing, stranding runners in scoring position in the third, fifth and sixth innings. He allowed six hits in his 6.0 innings and fanned three.

ODU's offense, which only put three runners on base between the second and seventh innings, responded in the eighth. Junior Billy Tecklenburg (Troy, Ohio) led off with a single to left and promptly stole second. He advanced to third on a ground out, but after sophomore Nick DiNello (Boardman, Ohio) walked, was erased at home on a fielder's choice. With two outs, McAlpine then delivered with a single through the left side to plate DiNello and tie the score at two.

Sophomore Drew McGlone (Circleville, Ohio) and Gore kept the Knights off the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth, but after the Panthers stranded a runner at second in the top of the ninth, Bellarmine came through with the winning run in the bottom half after three straight singles.

Ohio Dominican and Bellarmine conclude their three game series with a single nine inning game at noon Sunday.

Contact: Scott Miles
miles@ohiodominican.edu