COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican softball team continued to be a tough out at home as the Panthers swept visiting Saginaw Valley by the scores of 3-0 and 9-2 on Saturday afternoon at Panther Field.

The Panthers improved to 12-19-1 (8-2 GLIAC) while the Cardinals fell to 9-13 (5-3). The Panthers have also won nine out of the last 11.

ODU struck first in game one, scoring two runs on one hit in the bottom of the first. Freshman Kelsey Albanese (Westerville, Ohio) drew a two-out walk, followed by a walk to junior Caitlin Jividen (Wheeling, W. Va.). With two outs and two runners on base, sophomore Taylor Thomas (Bellville, Ohio) blasted a 1-2 pitch for her first triple of the season to right field, scoring Albanese and Jividen.

The Panthers tacked on a run in the bottom of the second inning when sophomore Deven Audette (Bronson, Mich.) led the inning off with a walk. Sophomore Brier Sanner (Hartville, Ohio) sacrificed her to second. Sophomore Kelsey Seeds (Westerville, Ohio) singled to the right side of the infield, scoring Audette from second.

Sophomore Rachael Stanzel (Angleton, Texas) pitched a gem, allowing just three hits over the remaining five innings. For the game, Stanzel allowed no runs on three hits with just one walk and one strikeout. The shutout is her second overall and first in the conference.

In game two, Ohio Dominican scored two runs in the top of the second after Thomas doubled to left field, scoring Jividen. Sophomore Brandis Fishel (Gahanna, Ohio) followed with a single to left center, scoring Thomas from second.

The Panthers extended their lead to 3-0 in the top of the fifth inning after sophomore Alex Cribari (Lyndhurst, Ohio) hit a two-out RBI double to right center.

Saginaw Valley got two runs back in the bottom half of the inning after Marcy Medina led the inning off with a pinch hit homerun over the center field wall. The Cardinals added their second run of the inning when Lindsay Hayward belted a double to right field to score Kaitlyn McBride.

ODU responded with a big sixth inning with four runs on four hits after Jividen poked her third homerun of the season over the center field wall to take a 4-2 lead. Thomas followed with a double and senior Brooke McCartney (Salem, Ohio) singled. After McCartney advanced to second, Audette was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Fishel. Fishel responded, connecting with the 1-1 pitch for single to right field, scoring Thomas. Freshman Elisabeth Weber (Canton, Ohio) was the second batter of the inning to be hit by a pitch to load the bases once more. Cribari drew a walk, scoring Audette to give the Panthers the 7-2 lead.

The bats continued to be on fire for the Panthers in the seventh as ODU tacked on two more runs after Thomas doubled to center field. McCartney smacked a double to left field, allowing Thomas to score easily. Audette singled to left, putting runners on first and third for Fishel. Fishel managed to reach first after a fielding error by the Cardinal infield, and Audette was caught in a rundown, which allowed McCartney to score.

Fishel retired the side in the bottom of the seventh to hang onto the 9-2 victory. With the win, Fishel is on 4-8 on the year. She allowed two runs on eight hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Ohio Dominican hits the field Sunday, Apr. 7 for a conference doubleheader with GLIAC foe Wayne State. First game is set to start at noon.

Contact: Sarah Twiggs
twiggss@ohiodominican.edu