CANTON, Ohio – Ohio Dominican's baseball team snapped Malone's 10-game winning streak with an 8-5 game one victory but dropped game two 3-1 in a non-conference doubleheader Saturday at Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton.

The Panthers moved to 3-7 on the season following the split, while Malone is 16-6.

Trailing 5-4 in the seventh and final inning of game one, ODU took advantage of several Pioneer miscues to score the victory. Junior Bobby Franks (Portage, Mich.) was hit by a pitch to lead off, went to second on a passed ball and was replaced by freshman pinch runner Bryan Rudolph (Pickerington, Ohio). Senior Germaine McAlpine (Canton, Ohio) then walked, and both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Another wild pitch brought home Rudolph to tie the score and sent McAlpine to third base.

After a pop out, sophomore Nick DiNello (Boardman, Ohio) reached on an error, which scored McAlpine and ODU on top 6-5. Senior Felix Brown (Philipsburg, St. Maarten) followed with a walk, and senior JT Feldkamp (Lorain, Ohio) doubled to left to score DiNello and make it 7-5. Junior John Bowron (Dayton, Ohio) hit a sac fly to left field to plate Brown and cap the rally, which produced four runs on just one hit in the inning.

Malone put its first two runners on board in the bottom half of the inning with a double and a walk, but freshman Sean Blackburn (Wadsworth, Ohio) closed the door by retiring the final three hitters to earn his first victory as a Panther.

ODU had rallied from a 3-1 deficit earlier in the contest, with sophomore Zack Dascenzo (Uniontown, Pa.) knotting the game at three with a double down the left field line that scored junior Austin Grate (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and McAlpine. The Panthers then took a 4-3 lead in the fifth on Brown's RBI double, but the Pioneers answered with two runs in their half of the inning to grab a 5-4 advantage.

Blackburn came on in relief and worked 2.1 innings, yielding just the one hit in the seventh. It's the only hit he's allowed in his past two outings, spanning 10.1 innings.

In game two, ODU could not overcome a three-run first inning by the host Pioneers, as the Panthers managed just four hits themselves. The Panthers manufactured a run in the third as junior Evan Shaw (Delaware, Ohio) singled, stole second and third and came in to score on McAlpine's sac fly. ODU, though, managed just three baserunners the rest of the game, none of which reached scoring position.

Junior Erik Lamka (Troy, Ohio) settled down after the three-run first and did not allow another run after that point, working 5.1 innings and fanning seven in the setback.

For the day, Shaw led the Panther offense as he finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three steals. Brown, Dascenzo and Feldkamp each had two hits as well.

The Panthers return to action for their home opener at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23 against Madonna (Mich.) at Panther Valley. The teams will play two seven-inning games.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu