COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican softball team's bats stayed hot Thursday afternoon as the Panthers swept visiting Findlay on Panther Field. ODU took game one 8-4 and won by the score of 3-0 in game two.

ODU improves to 9-18-1 (5-1 GLIAC) while the Oilers drop to 11-5 (1-3). The Panthers are now 7-1-1 at home and are on a four-game winning streak.

ODU got things going in the bottom of the second inning after senior Brooke McCartney (Salem, Ohio) started with a walk. Sophomore Devan Audette (Bronson, Mich.) reached on a fielder's choice and McCartney was safe at second. Sophomore Brier Sanner (Hartville, Ohio) singled to right field and advanced to second on the throw. Audette advanced to third on a throwing error by the first baseman and scored on a dead ball. Freshman Elisabeth Weber (Canton, Ohio) singled to right field, scoring Sanner.

In the top of the third, the Oilers answered with four runs when Jenna Motuza was hit by a pitch, Brittany Dau singled down the left field line and Carly Border doubled to right center, scoring both Motuza and Dau. Emily Reynolds homered to centerfield for her seventh of the season.

The Panthers regained the lead in the bottom of the third inning when freshman Kelsey Albanese (Westerville, Ohio) doubled to left field.  Junior Caitlin Jividen (Wheeling. W. Va.) followed with a double and sophomore Taylor Thomas (Bellville, Ohio) capitalized with a deep blast to left field to put the Panthers up 5-4.

In the bottom of the fifth, Jividen forced the Oilers into a rundown, allowing sophomore Alex Cribari (Lyndhurst, Ohio) to score from third to take the 6-4 lead.

ODU tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning after a leadoff walk by McCartney and Audette was hit by a pitch. Sophomore Rachael Stanzel (Angleton, Texas) pinch ran for Audette and both her and McCartney successfully stole second and third. Weber reached on a fielder's choice and then got into another rundown, allowing McCartney and Stanzel to score. 

Stanzel went the distance for the Panthers, picking up her sixth win. She allowed four runs on eight hits with two strikeouts.

In the nightcap, both teams struggled at the plate until ODU put the first run on the board in the top of the fifth inning when Albanese scored Weber from third on an infield groundout.

The Panthers put two more runs on the board in the top of the fifth after Thomas blasted another homerun to centerfield and Weber singled to right field to make the final score 3-0.

Sophomore Brandis Fishel (Gahanna, Ohio) got the win for the Panthers, her third of the season. She allowed just four hits, two walks and struck out one batter.

The Panthers finish their homestand this Saturday, March 30 for the fourth annual Friends of Jaclyn game against Hillsdale. The first game is set for 1 p.m.

Contact: Sarah Twiggs
twiggss@ohiodominican.edu