COLUMBUS, Ohio - On another chilly afternoon at Panther Field, Ohio Dominican's softball team heated up in a game two against Ferris State (Mich.) on Saturday to secure the program's inaugural GLIAC victory, 12-5, and earn a split after the Bulldogs took game one of the doubleheader 4-3.

With the split, ODU sits at 6-16 overall and 1-3 in the conference, while FSU is now 6-10 and 3-1 in the GLIAC.

Kylee Crislip (Jr./Louisville, OH) powered the Panthers' 12-run, 14-hit attack in game two, going 3-for-5 at the plate with a career-high five RBI and two runs scored. Jennifer Baker (Sr./Cortland, OH) collected her second three-hit game of the season going 3-for-5 with two RBI and equaled her season-best with three runs scored, while Brooke McCartney (So./Salem, OH) matched her career high with three RBI on 2-for-4 hitting at the dish.

Ferris State got out to an early 2-0 lead with a pair of runs on an RBI triple and ODU error in the bottom of the first. In their next at-bat, the Panthers erupted for six runs on six hits and two Bulldog errors. Samantha Wolfe (Sr./Columbus, OH) opened with a double to right and came around to score following an error and three straight ODU singles that also plated Caitlin Jividen (Fr./Wheeling, WV). Baker followed with a one-out double down the left field line, plating Danyelle Delligatta (Fr./Sidney, OH) and McCartney and eventually scored, along with Brittany Seavey (Fr./Flint, MI), on a throwing error off a fielder's choice by Crislip.    

The Panthers extended the lead to 8-2 in the fourth as McCartney drilled a two-RBI double to right center as two more Ferris State errors provided ODU with its base runners. After a Bulldogs solo homerun  in the fourth, Crislip tacked on two more insurance runs for the Black-and-Gold in the top of the fifth with her first homer of the season, a two-out shot to left center, scoring Baker who reached on a single to left.

A two-out, two run double in the bottom of the fifth pulled FSU within 10-5, but following a scoreless sixth inning, Crislip once again came through for the Panthers with a two-run double to right center, bringing Erin Sutter (Jr./Mansfield, OH) and Baker home after they reached on a walk and single, respectively.

Two hits and walk loaded the bases for the Bulldogs in the bottom of the seventh, but Caitlin Chaney (Jr./Newark, OH) worked her way out of the jam to secure her third win of the season. Chaney went the distance, allowing five runs, four earned on 10 hits and striking out three to improve to 3-2 on the year.

In the opening game, Ferris State took a 1-0 lead after a run scoring single up the middle. ODU bounced back in the home half of the third as Baker singled home Seavey and Crislip hit a SAC-fly to right to score Sutter.

The score remained until the top of the fifth when the Bulldogs, aided by a Panther error, scored three runs on three hits to go back up, 4-2. ODU appeared to rally in the sixth as Jividen and McCartney opened with back-to-back singles, but the Panthers would only manage one run as they left the bases full. FSU sat ODU down in order in the seventh to take the win.

Delligatta and Crislip each collected two of the Panther's eight hits in the loss.

ODU concludes their GLIAC homestand tomorrow with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Hillsdale (Mich.). The first game was originally slated for 12 p.m., but has been pushed back one hour in case of snow showers.

Contact: Bryan Desch
deschb@ohiodominican.edu