SAGINAW, Mich. – A pair of pitching duels went against Ohio Dominican's baseball team as the Panthers fell 3-1 and 1-0 at Saginaw Valley in a GLIAC doubleheader on Saturday.

The setbacks dropped the Panthers to 18-18 overall and 10-12 in the conference. It's the first time ODU has been .500 since starting the season 2-2 and also the first time the Panthers fell below .500 in conference play this year.

ODU managed just three hits in the opener, which was scoreless through five innings. Freshman Austin Bueter (Wauseon, Ohio) pitched out of trouble in the third, leaving the bases loaded with a fly out to right, and was also aided by a pair of double plays in the first five innings.

The Panthers offense finally cracked through in the sixth, as senior Evan Shaw (Delaware, Ohio) drew a two-out walk, stole second, then came in to score as junior Ryan Rovnak (Poland, Ohio) singled to left to make it 1-0.

But SVSU (17-17, 13-9 GLIAC) took advantage of an ODU error and strung together three runs in its half of the sixth, and the Panthers managed just a two-out single in the seventh in falling 3-1 in game one.

Bueter fell to 1-2 with the loss, throwing 97 pitches in his six innings and allowing seven hits and three unearned runs. He struck out three and walked three in his first complete game outing of the season.

The Panthers would outhit Saginaw 7-5 in game two, but again fell short on the scoreboard as the Cardinals would score the game's lone run in the third inning.

ODU was not without its scoring chances, though. The Panthers loaded the bases in the fourth with one out, but could not bring a run in. Ohio Dominican also put a runner in scoring position in the sixth and also had runners on the corners with two down in the seventh but again failed to score.

Freshman right hander Cole Carpenter (Zanesville, Ohio) was the tough-luck loser. Like Bueter, he also tossed his first complete game of the campaign and allowed just five hits and the one run. He threw 90 pitches, striking out three and issuing just one walk.

Shaw had two hits in the second game and finished 3-for-6 on the afternoon with a walk. Rovnak was the only other Panther to finish the twinbill with more than one hit, going 2-for-7 on the day with the RBI.

The Panthers and Cardinals conclude their four-game series with a doubleheader starting at noon tomorrow at Saginaw Valley.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu