ASHLAND, Ohio – After suffering its worst defeat of the season in Monday's opener, Ohio Dominican's baseball team bounced back with a 10-5 victory in the second half of its GLIAC doubleheader at Ashland on Monday. The Eagles scored a 17-2 win in game two.

With the split, ODU moved to 16-12 on the season and 8-6 in the conference. Ashland is now 18-12 overall (10-6 GLIAC) and, following Saturday's sweep, took the season series from ODU for a second straight year.

In a three-hour marathon, the Panthers scored eight runs in the first two innings of game two to grab control early. Junior Ryan Rovnak (Poland, Ohio) smacked his first career home run down the right field line to open the scoring, and freshman Kyle Tisdale (Uniontown, Ohio) drilled a double that scored redshirt sophomore Christian Prince (Hudsonville, Mich.) to make it 2-0.

After Ashland answered with three tallies in the bottom of the first, ODU struck back with six runs in the second. Senior John Bowron (Dayton, Ohio) tripled to right to start the inning and junior Chase Westphal (Brecksville, Ohio) singled him home to tie the game. Freshman John Simindinger (Lima, Ohio) followed with a single, and senior Evan Shaw (Delaware, Ohio) laid down a bunt that would score Westphal after a throwing error.

Rovnak walked to load the bases and Prince was hit by a pitch to score Simindinger. After a line drive double play seemed to halt the momentum, Tisdale launched his second home run of the season, a three run blast to right field, to put the Panthers on top 8-3.

Ashland scored twice in the fourth to cut the ODU lead to three and threatened again in the fifth. The Eagles loaded the bases with one down, but Rovnak cut down one runner at the plate and reliever Alberto Canales (West Park, Fla.) ended the frame with a fly out to left to keep the Panthers in front 8-5.

Tisdale's fifth RBI of the game came in the sixth inning as he singled to left field, scoring Prince, and Shaw's sacrifice fly in the seventh accounted for ODU's final tally.

ODU's offense broke out of a mini-slump by registering 12 hits and drawing four walks. Tisdale set a season-best with his five RBI and matched his season-high with three hits while also drawing a walk, Rovnak and Simindinger both had two hits and Prince scored three times after recording a hit and being hit by two pitches.

Freshman Austin Bueter (Wauseon, Ohio) started and went 4.1 innings, allowing five runs (one earned) on nine hits. He matched a season-high with six punchouts and earned his first collegiate victory, evening his record at 1-1.

Things quickly went downhill for the Panthers in the opener, despite taking a 1-0 lead in the first. Shaw singled up the middle and went to third on Westphal's basehit, then scored later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by freshman Tyler Watkins (Belpre, Ohio).

The score remained that way until the bottom of the third, when Ashland scored six times on just two hits, taking advantage of four walks. ODU came back with a run in the fourth, as Prince doubled and later came in to score on a junior Zack Dascenzo (Uniontown, Pa.) RBI single to right, but the Eagles scored four times in the fourth and fifth innings and three more runs in the sixth to claim the win.

Ohio Dominican takes on Lake Erie in a GLIAC doubleheader at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Frank Damian Field.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu