HILLSDALE, Mich. – Behind three hits apiece from senior Kyle Tisdale (Uniontown, Ohio) and sophomore Tony Evans (Medway, Ohio) and another sharp start by junior Ryan Colegate (Centerville, Ohio), Ohio Dominican's baseball team defeated Hillsdale 7-3 to split a Saturday road GLIAC doubleheader.

The Panthers bounced back from a 6-5 setback in the opener in which ODU left the tying run on base in the final inning.

With the split, ODU moved to 13-13 on the year (5-9 GLIAC), while the Chargers stand at 10-22 (5-11 GLIAC). The teams conclude their four game series with a noon doubleheader Sunday.

ODU never trailed in game two, scoring in innings two through five to take a 5-1 lead. Freshman Justin Childers (Pickerington, Ohio) had an RBI grounder in the second inning to plate Tisdale, and freshman Lee Sponseller (Mason, Ohio) hit an RBI single to bring in Evans in the third inning to make it 2-0.

Hillsdale scored an unearned run in the third, but the Panthers countered with two runs in the fourth. Freshman Jacob Tisevich (North Canton, Ohio) hit a sacrifice fly to score senior Kyle Suminski (Fraser, Mich.), and Evans followed with an RBI basehit to bring home Childers and give ODU a 4-1 lead.

Childers' RBI basehit back up the middle scored Tisdale in the fifth inning to make it 5-1, and after a scoreless sixth inning, freshman Max Banke (Grove City, Ohio) drew a bases loaded walk in the seventh to give the Panthers a 6-1 cushion.

Hillsdale scored twice in the bottom of the eighth, but senior reliever Vince Bartolone (Broadview Heights, Ohio) entered and worked out of a bases loaded jam to keep it 6-3.

Sophomore Kyle Burson (Brunswick, Ohio) hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth to give the Panthers some breathing room, and the Chargers left two on in the ninth as ODU earned the split.

Colegate improved to 5-1 on the spring as he tossed 7.2 innings and allowed just one earned run. He struck out four and walked two. He lowered his ERA to 2.16 on the season, which is second in the conference, and his five wins are also tied for second in the league.

Bartolone picked up his third save of the year with his 1.1 of scoreless relief.

Tisdale finished 3-for-4 and scored three runs while Evans went 3-for-5. Sponseller, Suminski and senior Marcus Schluessler (Zanesville, Ohio) each drew two walks.

ODU, though, had to settle for the split after dropping the opener 6-5. Tisevich and junior Colman Fitzgerald (Centerville, Ohio) each doubled in the first inning, and Tisdale hit an RBI single to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.

A bases clearing double by the Chargers in the bottom of the first gave the hosts the lead, but ODU tied it in the second on a Hillsdale throwing error.

Two doubles in the fourth gave Hillsdale a 5-3 lead, but the Panthers responded with a run in the sixth and had the bases loaded. However, a double play grounder ended the threat.

The Chargers scored again in the sixth to make it 6-4, and an RBI grounder by Schluessler cut it to 6-5 in the seventh, but ODU could not bring home the tying run with two outs.

Tisevich and Tisdale each had a pair of hits and Suminski had a hit and drew three walks to lead the offense.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu