LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Junior right hander Nick Venditti (Brecksville, Ohio) held host Bellarmine to two hits in six innings and Ohio Dominican's baseball team took the rubber match from the Knights 1-0 on Sunday.

Venditti struck out five and walked one, and a trio of freshmen relievers – Austin Bueter (Wauseon, Ohio), Kevin Clark (Columbus, Ohio) and Cole Carpenter (Zanesville, Ohio) – skirted danger in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to close the win. The teams split the first two games of the series yesterday, with ODU notching a 5-4 win and Bellarmine taking a 14-4 decision.

The lone run of Sunday's game came in the fifth inning, as senior John Bowron (Dayton, Ohio) led off with a single into center and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior shortstop Tyler Zaidel (Cincinnati, Ohio). After a flyout, freshman Marcus Schluessler (Zanesville, Ohio) delivered the key two-out hit, sending a basehit the opposite way into right field to bring in Bowron.

ODU had a chance to extend the lead, both in the fifth and sixth frames, but left the bases loaded both times.

Still, the run was enough for Venditti, who only allowed one runner past second base in his six innings of work. An error, a fielder's choice and infield single put Knight runners on the corners with two down in the second, but Venditti ended the inning with a pop out to third baseman Ryan Rovnak.

The Knights put a runner on second in both the third and fourth innings with one out, but Venditti worked out of trouble both times. After working a perfect fifth inning, Venditti yielded a hit in the sixth but no damage.

Both teams left two runners aboard in the seventh, and after ODU stranded Bowron on second in the eighth, Bellarmine threatened to score again in the bottom half. Back-to-back outs with one out put two aboard, but Bueter worked out of the jam with a punchout and a flyout to right.

ODU put two more runners on base with one down in the ninth but again could not capitalize. In the home half, two walks with one out put the Knights in position to score again. A pick off at second base by Clark resulted in the second out, but another walk put two on board again. Carpenter came in and registered the 27th out on a fly ball to right to earn his first save.

The Panthers had an 11-2 edge in hits, but left 14 runners on base. Despite recording just two hits, Bellarmine managed to strand 11 runners on the benefit of seven walks and two ODU errors.

Bowron reached base all four times, going 2-for-2 and walking twice, and freshman DH Kyle Tisdale (Uniontown, Ohio) had two hits in five at bats as well. Bowron finished the weekend 5-for-6 (.857) and Tisdale went 4-for-9 with a homer and two RBI.

The Panthers next head to Florida to play nine games at the Russ Matt Central Florida Invitational in Winter Haven. ODU takes on Wheeling Jesuit at 3 p.m. on Friday.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu