COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Dominican's baseball team extended its winning streak to nine consecutive games as the Panthers closed the GLIAC regular season with a twinbill sweep of Findlay, winning by scores of 11-0 and 5-2 Sunday at Panther Valley.

ODU improved to 29-16 overall and 20-12 in the GLIAC. ODU earned the fourth seed in the conference tournament and will play Northwood at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Xenia's Athletes in Action Field.

The Panthers started strong in game one and didn't look back as the first seven hitters reached base on six hits and a walk, giving ODU a 5-0 lead in the first. Senior Kyle Suminski (Fraser, Mich.), sophomore Tony Evans (Medway, Ohio) and senior Kyle Tisdale (Uniontown, Ohio) each had RBI singles and freshman Justin Childers (Pickerington, Ohio) hit an RBI double down the left field line to stake ODU to the big lead.

ODU then struck for three more runs in the second inning. Freshman Jacob Tisevich (North Canton, Ohio) hit an 0-2 breaking ball over the wall in left for his fifth home run, Childers had another RBI basehit, and junior Jacob Horsley (Thornville, Ohio) hit a sacrifice fly to center to extend the lead to 8-0.

The Panthers tacked on two more runs in the third on an RBI double to left-center by Suminski and a run-scoring single by Evans, and an RBI double by freshman Lee Sponseller (Mason, Ohio) in the fifth capped the scoring.

That was plenty of support for senior Ryan Bidwell (Syracuse, N.Y.), who tossed a complete game, five-hit shutout. It was the first complete game shutout in his career, and he was in command the entire game, needing just 67 pitches to finish out the game.

Bidwell threw 48 of those pitches for strikes (71.6 percent) and the Oilers only had one runner reach scoring position, via a two-out double in the fourth. Over his last two starts, he has thrown 13 shutout innings and allowed just six hits.

Suminski set a career-high for hits and runs as he went 4-for-4 with four runs scored, and he also knocked in two runs. Evans finished 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, and Childers had two hits and two RBI for the Panthers, who pounded out 16 hits in the game.

The Oilers struck first in game two by scoring twice in the first inning, but the Panthers came back with two runs in the second inning. Junior Colman Fitzgerald (Centerville, Ohio) hit a sacrifice fly to right that scored two as the throw in to home plate was off target.

ODU took a 3-2 lead in the fourth on consecutive triples by Childers and Fitzgerald, and the Panthers tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth on Tisdale's sacrifice fly and a wild pitch that brought home Evans.

Senior Alberto Canales (West Park, Fla.) shined in his final appearance at Panther Valley. He tossed five innings of one hit, shutout relief to pick up the win. He struck out three without issuing a walk and threw 42 of his 60 pitches for strikes.

Senior Vince Bartolone (Broadview Heights, Ohio) pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his seventh save of the year.

Tisdale went 2-for-3 and Sponseller drew two walks for ODU in the second game.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu