COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sophomore Bryan Rudolph (Pickerington, Ohio) smacked his first career home run and drove in four as Ohio Dominican's baseball team defeated Urbana 8-4 in unseasonably warm conditions Wednesday at Frank Damian Field.

Rudolph finished the 83 degree afternoon 3-for-4 at the plate and blasted a 3-2 offering from Urbana starter Zane Bayliss over the 365 foot sign in left center to put the Panthers on top 4-0 in the third. He would later add an RBI base hit in the fifth, coming in to score on a Blue Knight error, and also singled and stole second in the seventh inning.

ODU (8-5) tallied 13 hits to back up a strong performance on the mound from freshman Alberto Canales (West Park, Fla.), who made his first collegiate start. Canales worked five-plus innings, tossing 61 pitches and allowing just an unearned run in the fifth. He yielded three hits, walked three and struck out two in improving to 2-0. The right-hander also induced Urbana (5-11) to ground into a pair of double plays in the first and second innings.

Prior to Rudolph's blast in the third, the first four Panthers reached base to start the inning. Redshirt-junior Zack Dascenzo (Uniontown, Pa.) doubled to center field and went to third on a bunt single by senior Evan Shaw (Delaware, Ohio). After Shaw was thrown out at second on a pickoff, freshman John Simindinger (Lima, Ohio) delivered a single into left that scored Dascenzo, and classmate Vince Bartolone (Broadview Heights, Ohio) would single between first and second to put two onboard for Rudolph.

The Blue Knights took advantage of a Panther error in the fifth to score their first run and make it 4-1, but ODU came right back with two tallies in the bottom of the frame. With two out and nobody on, Bartolone singled and stole second, then came in to score on Rudolph's basehit to center, beating the throw to the plate. Rudolph, who went to second on the play, then came all the way in to score on a roller to shortstop that was mishandled, putting the Panthers on top 6-1.

Urbana was able to threaten in the seventh, though, loading the bases with no one out. The Blue Knights scored three times on a passed ball, a sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout, but junior Nick Venditti (Brecksville, Ohio) kept the score at 6-4 with a groundout to Bartolone at second to end the inning.

ODU earned some breathing room in the seventh and eighth innings with single runs in both frames. Shaw beat out a grounder to short to start the inning, then stole second base. He went to third on a groundout and would score on Bartolone's sacrifice fly to make it 7-4.

Bartolone moved from second base to the mound in the eighth and needed just nine pitches to retire the order, and the Panthers tacked on their final run in the bottom half as senior Tyler Zaidel (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored on Shaw's base hit down the left field line.

Shaw, along with Rudolph, also finished 3-for-4, while Bartolone and Dascenzo both went 2-for-4 at the dish.

The Panthers matched a season-high with their four stolen bases, and the seven hits allowed by the pitching staff was the fewest since ODU gave up four to Kentucky Wesleyan in the Panthers' 3-2 win on March 12.

Ohio Dominican remains at home this weekend to open up GLIAC play, hosting Tiffin in a four-game series. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu