JACOB HORSLEY INTERVIEW

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Dominican's baseball team came up with the clutch hits it needed in sweeping a Saturday doubleheader from Ashland, winning game one 4-3 and grabbing a 6-5 victory in game two.

The Panthers rallied from a 2-1 fifth inning deficit in the opener to win on a walkoff sacrifice fly from sophomore Jacob Horsley (Thornville, Ohio), and Horsley's two-run blast in the sixth inning of game two helped lead a comeback from a 5-3 deficit.

With the sweep, ODU improved to 12-7 (2-2 GLIAC), while Ashland fell to 10-9 (0-4 GLIAC).

The Panthers jumped to a 1-0 lead in the opener, as senior Jossue Delgado (Barinas, Venezuela) doubled and came in to score on an RBI basehit from sophomore Collin Parcher (Napoleon, Ohio).

Ashland tied it with a run in the third and took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth, but the Panthers quickly answered. Delgado reached on a throwing error, and senior Drew Ryan (Newark, Ohio) laid down a bunt that was thrown away into right field. Delgado kicked in the afterburners and scored from first on the play, beating the throw to the plate with a headfirst dive.

Later, Parcher scored Ryan with a sacrifice fly to center to give the Panthers a 3-2 lead.

Ashland tied it at three with a run in the sixth, and the Panthers stranded two runners on board in the bottom half.

But ODU didn't fail to capitalize in the seventh. Ryan singled to start the inning, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Kyle Tisdale (Uniontown, Ohio), then took third on a wild pitch. Parcher and senior Bryan Rudolph (Pickerington, Ohio) were both intentionally walked to try to set up a force play, but Horsley hit the first pitch he saw into deep right field to bring in Ryan and end the game.

Delgado, Parcher and junior Phil Jaskot (Upper Arlington, Ohio) each had two hits to lead the offense. Senior Alex Borgan (Pickerington, Ohio) started and did not earn a decision after allowing eight hits and three runs in 5.1 innings. Junior Vince Bartolone (Broadview Heights, Ohio) worked 1.2 innings of relief, allowing just one hit in picking up the victory.

The Panthers fell behind by scores of 3-1 and 5-3 in game two but rallied each time to complete the sweep of Ashland.

Down by that 3-1 score in the third, ODU put together four straight hits, with Parcher's RBI single bringing home Ryan and Horsley's RBI groundout scoring Tisdale to tie the game at 3-3.

Ashland scored two unearned runs in the sixth to go in front 5-3, but the Panthers responded. Rudolph legged out a double into the gap in right-center, and Horsley blasted a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left field to tie the game at 5-5.

Then, with two outs, freshman Tony Evans (Medway, Ohio) reached on an error, and Delgado was intentionally walked. Ryan stepped to the plate and faced an 0-2 count, but delivered as he lined the next pitch back up the middle into center field to score Evans and put ODU on top 6-5.

Bartolone then entered in the seventh and needed just 10 pitches to set the Eagles down in order to earn his fifth save of the season.

The Panthers pounded out 11 hits in the ballgame, with Ryan, Tisdale, Rudolph and Horsley each having two. Delgado extended his hitting streak to 12 consecutive games as well.

Senior Sean Blackburn (Wadsworth, Ohio) improved to 3-0 this spring as he worked 6.0 innings and allowed three earned runs while striking out four.

ODU and Ashland complete their three-game series at noon on Sunday at Panther Valley.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu