COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the second straight day, Ohio Dominican's baseball team earned a split with visiting Northwood as a result of game two rallies, this time battling back from a 5-2 deficit to take a 9-5 victory Sunday at Panther Valley. Northwood claimed the first game, 6-2.

The two teams split the four game series, leaving ODU at 9-11 (6-4 GLIAC), while Northwood sits at 9-9 (4-4). The Panthers will be in no worse than a tie for third place in the conference through the first 10 games of the league schedule.

After a three-run fourth by the Timberwolves staked them to the 5-2 lead in game two, it appeared that the visitors would sweep Sunday's games. But Ohio Dominican responded with a seven run fifth inning, its best scoring inning of the season, to take control of the contest.

Germaine McAlpine (Canton, Ohio) and Tyler Zaidel (Cincinnati, Ohio) led off with singles and Austin Grate (Fort Wayne, Ind.) walked to load the bases. Bryan Rudolph (Pickerington, Ohio) then sent a single through the left side to bring in McAlpine and Zaidel and cut the Northwood lead to 5-4. After a pitching change and a groundout, Andrew Powelson (Tallmadge, Ohio) walked with two men down to load the bases again, and pinch-hitter Bobby Franks (Portage, Mich.) delivered with the go-ahead single, scoring Rudolph and Grate.

Two batters later, McAlpine returned to the plate and smacked a single back up the middle, plating Franks and Powelson, and Zaidel capped the rally with an RBI single of his own, bringing in Evan Shaw (Delaware, Ohio) to make it 9-5.

Alex Borgan (Pickerington, Ohio) entered the game in the sixth and kept Northwood at bay, limiting the Timberwolves to just one hit in the final two frames to seal the victory, which went to freshman Kyle Price (Pickerington, Ohio). Price allowed four earned runs in his five innings of work and struck out two without issuing a walk for his first collegiate victory.

McAlpine had a superlative effort at the plate, as the leadoff hitter finished 4-for-4 with two runs and three batted in. He extended his hitting streak to six games and recorded his eighth multi-hit effort of the season. Zaidel, who now has hit in five straight games himself, finished 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI, and Rudolph drove in a season-high three.

The Panthers could not come up with a big scoring inning in the first contest, though they had several chances, stranding 10 runners on base. Northwood jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first, and the Panthers would leave four on without scoring in the first two frames.

ODU picked up a run in the third thanks to a bases-loaded walk by Anthony Raschilla (Girard, Ohio) with two outs, but the rally would end there with the bases still filled. The game remained 3-1 through the bottom of the sixth when Zaidel's RBI single brought in McAlpine to cut the deficit to a run, but NU put the game away with three runs in the top of the seventh.

Shaw finished with two of ODU's seven hits, though the Panthers did draw six walks as well. Nick Venditti (Brecksville, Ohio), in his first start of the season, took the loss after allowing three runs in 5.1 innings. He held Northwood to just three hits after the first inning.

Ohio Dominican will return to action for a non-conference matchup at 4 p.m. Wednesday against Shawnee State at home.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu