COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican softball team concluded its weekend with a split to visiting Hillsdale on Saturday afternoon at Panther Field. The Panthers took game one by the score of 3-2 but dropped a 5-3 decision in game two.

For the year, the Panthers are 10-19-1 (6-2 GLIAC) while the Chargers move to 3-10 (2-4).  The loss also snapped a five game win streak.

The Chargers wasted no time getting on the board as Taylor Schulty homered to deep left center for the early 1-0 lead.

The Panthers responded in the bottom of the second, as senior Brooke McCartney (Salem, Ohio) hit a single up the middle. She followed her single by stealing second to put her in scoring position for sophomore Brier Sanner (Hartville, Ohio). Sanner reached on a fielding error and advanced to second, while McCartney scored.

Hillsdale took the 2-1 lead in the top of the third as Schulty came through with an RBI double through the left side of the infield.

ODU tied the score 2-2 in the bottom of the inning after Alex Cribari (Lyndhurst, Ohio) hit a leadoff double down the left field line and later stole third. Freshman Kelsey Albanese (Westerville, Ohio) batted Cribari in on a single to center field.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, sophomore Devan Audette (Bronson, Mich.) singled down the left field line and was sacrificed over by Sanner. Freshman Elisabeth Weber (Canton, Ohio) singled to right field, scoring Audette.

Sophomore Rachael Stanzel (Angleton, Texas) held off the Chargers in the top of the seventh, clinching her seventh win of the season. For the game, she allowed two runs on seven hits while striking out five batters.

In game two, the Panthers scored the first two runs after sophomore Kelsey Seeds (Westerville, Ohio) double to left center. Cribari singled through the right side, scoring Seeds. Junior Caitlin Jividen (Wheeling, W. Va.) singled to right field and then successfully stole second, which allowed Cribari to score.

However, the Chargers matched the Panthers two runs in the bottom of the inning after Sarah Grunert hit an RBI single to right field and Miriam McKay singled to right center.

Weber gave the Panthers the 3-2 lead in the top of the second after forcing the Chargers into a rundown, which Audette capitalized on and scored.

In the bottom of the second inning, the Chargers took the lead at 4-3 when Schulty doubled down the left field line, scoring two runs.

Hillsdale's Kristi Gordon tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth for the 5-3 lead after she homered to left field.

The Panthers couldn't recover, falling by the final score of 5-3.

Ohio Dominican returns to the field on Saturday, April 6 as the team travels to Saginaw Valley for a conference doubleheader starting a 1 p.m.

Contact: Sarah Twiggs
twiggss@ohiodominican.edu