COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Dominican's baseball team suffered a pair of defeats to visiting and No. 18 ranked Grand Valley State on Saturday, falling 11-1 and 7-3 in GLIAC play at Panther Valley.

ODU had its chances late in the second game, loading the bases in both the sixth and seventh innings when down by a score of just 3-0, but could not capitalize.

With the losses, ODU fell to 7-6 (0-2 GLIAC), while the Lakers improved to 10-5 (2-0 GLIAC).

The Panthers out-hit GVSU 11-9 in the second game, but left 12 runners on base.

After ODU left the bases loaded in both the sixth and seventh innings, Grand Valley answered with a grand slam in the top of the eighth to pull away.

ODU scored on a sac fly by senior Ronn Bidwell (Syracuse, N.Y.) and an infield single by sophomore Kyle Burson (Brunswick, Ohio) in the bottom of the eighth, and junior Colman Fitzgerald (Centerville, Ohio) drilled a homer to right-center in the ninth to draw ODU within 7-3, but the Panthers could get no closer.

Burson, Fitzgerald, senior Kyle Tisdale (Uniontown, Ohio), and freshmen Lee Sponseller (Mason, Ohio) and Justin Childers (Pickerington, Ohio) each had two hits for ODU in the second game.

In the opener, ODU fell behind 3-0 through three innings, and the Lakers put the game away with a seven-run fourth inning.

Sponseller accounted for ODU's lone run with a solo shot in the seventh inning as the Panthers were out-hit 11-6 and also committed three errors.

Ohio Dominican and Grand Valley conclude their four-game series with a doubleheader at noon Sunday at Panther Valley.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu