COLUMBUS, Ohio – Following a two-hit gem by junior Ryan Colegate (Centerville, Ohio) in a 7-0 opening win, Ohio Dominican's baseball team completed a doubleheader sweep of No. 18 Grand Valley with a 5-4 11 inning triumph Sunday afternoon in GLIAC action.

The Panthers loaded the bases in that 11th inning with one out, and junior Colman Fitzgerald (Centerville, Ohio) had a walk off fielder's choice grounder as GVSU's throw to the plate sailed wide of the mark.

ODU improved to 9-6 (2-2 GLIAC) in earning the series split with the Lakers, who fell to 10-7 (2-2).

Colegate was masterful in the first game as he needed just 81 pitches to shut down the potent Grand Valley offense. He struck out eight batters, one shy of a career best, and two-thirds of his pitches were strikes (54).

The right-hander struck out the side in both the second and fourth innings and the Lakers had just two runners reach scoring position – none after the third inning.

It was the second career complete game for Colegate and the first shutout of his career. He improved to 3-0 on the spring and now has allowed just one earned run in 19.0 innings, spanning his three starts.

ODU provided him with plenty of offense early. In the first inning, Fitzgerald had an RBI groundout, and with two outs, freshman Lee Sponseller (Mason, Ohio) launched a two-run shot to right to make it 3-0.

Junior Kyle Tisdale (Uniontown, Ohio) had an RBI basehit in the third inning, and the Panthers broke it open with a three-run sixth inning. ODU did not record a hit in that sixth inning, taking advantage of three walks and two Laker errors to take the seven run cushion and eventual victory.

The second game was close throughout. ODU struck first in the third inning on Tisdale's RBI single to left that scored senior Marcus Schluessler (Zanesville, Ohio), but GVSU answered with two runs in the fourth to go in front 2-1.

The score remained that way until the sixth. Sponseller drilled a 2-1 fastball over the wall in right center field for his second homer of the day, giving the Panthers a 3-2 edge.

ODU increased its lead to 4-2 in the seventh as sophomore Tony Evans (Medway, Ohio) laid down a perfect squeeze bunt up the first base line to score sophomore classmate Kyle Burson (Brunswick, Ohio).

GVSU answered in the eighth, though, putting two runners on and bringing them home on a two-out double to tie the game at 4-4.

Both teams had chances late in the game. ODU left two runners on board in the ninth, and GVSU could not cash in on a leadoff double in the top of the tenth as senior Vince Bartolone (Broadview Heights, Ohio) worked out of trouble in that inning.

The Panthers then put their first two runners on board in the bottom of the inning, but a failed bunt and a liner into a double play ended the threat.

Grand Valley threatened again in the top of the 11th, loading the bases with two outs, but Bartolone induced a pop up to Burson behind the bag at second to end the frame.

Senior Ronn Bidwell (Syracuse, N.Y.) walked to start the bottom of the inning and was replaced by freshman Jacob Tisevich (North Canton, Ohio). A sacrifice bunt and wild pitch moved Tisevich to third, and Schluessler and Evans were both hit by pitches to load the bases.

Fitzgerald fell behind 1-2 in the count before hitting his grounder up the middle, and the wide throw to plate ended the game in ODU's favor.

The victory was the third in walkoff variety for the Panthers this spring.

Bartolone picked up the win as he tossed 3.2 innings of scoreless relief, scattering four hits. Freshman Joe Filosa (Fort Wayne, Ind.) started and yielded two runs in 5.1 innings, allowing just three hits.

Ohio Dominican returns to action at 4 p.m. Wednesday for a non-conference game at Cedarville.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu