COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sophomore Lee Sponseller (Mason, Ohio) hit for the cycle and senior Colman Fitzgerald (Centerville, Ohio) also registered four hits as Ohio Dominican's baseball team defeated Hillsdale 11-5 in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday at Panther Valley.

The Panthers pounded out a season-high 17 hits as ODU bounced back from a 6-4 loss in eight innings in the first game of the afternoon.

In game two, Sponseller had an RBI double in the first inning, a basehit in the second, a two-run homer in the fourth and a triple to straightaway center in the sixth to account for his cycle. He finished 4-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored in the game.

Fitzgerald also authored a 4-for-4 effort while sophomores Cody Paterniti (Chardon, Ohio), Justin Childers (Pickerington, Ohio) and Max Banke (Oakwood, Ohio) each had two hits apiece.

The Panthers batted around in the opening inning as Paterniti roped a double to left-center to start the frame and scored on a basehit by freshman Genesis Hillard (Cincinnati, Ohio). After a basehit by freshman Colin Kaucher (Toledo, Ohio), Sponseller's two-bagger to left-center made it 2-1, and senior Jacob Horsley (Thornville, Ohio) followed with a basehit down the right field line that scored two and increased the lead to 4-1.

Hillsdale scored another run in the second to make it 4-2, but it was all Panthers from there. Childers started the third inning with a double and later came in to score, and Sponseller's two-run blast over the wall in right field extended the lead to 7-2 in the fourth.

Childers hit a leadoff homer in the fifth inning to help the Panthers take a 9-2 lead, and Sponseller bombed a triple to the wall in center that scored Kaucher to make it 10-2 in the sixth. Childers capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right to give ODU an 11-2 cushion.

Sophomore Joe Filosa (Fort Wayne, Ind.) went the distance on the mound to improve to 3-1 on the spring.

The home runs by Sponseller and Childers made for ODU's first multi-home run game since March 9, 2014 when the Panthers hit two against Alderson-Broaddus in a 19-1 win.

In game one, ODU fell behind 3-0 in the first inning but quickly answered with two runs in its half of the first on RBI singles by Horsley and Fitzgerald.

The score remained 3-2 until the sixth when junior Kyle Burson (Brunswick, Ohio) hit a sacrifice fly to score Childers and even the score.

ODU had a chance to win it with two outs in the seventh as Sponseller and Horsley each singled, but a pop out in foul ground ended the scoring the threat.

Hillsdale then hit a pair of home runs in the top of the eighth to take a 6-3 lead, but the Panthers did not go quietly in their half of the inning.

Hillard sent an RBI basehit back up the middle to bring ODU to within 6-4 with two outs, and a balk advanced two runners into scoring position. Kaucher stepped to the plate and hit a ball sharply back up the middle, but Hillsdale's Chris McDonald gloved it and threw on to first to end the rally.

Horsley had three of ODU's 11 hits in the opener and Hillard also had a pair of hits for the Panthers.

Freshman Brad Wilson (Alexandria, Ohio) allowed the three runs in the first inning but limited the Chargers to four hits over the next six frames. He struck out eight batters without issuing a walk.

Sponseller increased his hitting streak to 10 straight games and Horsley has now hit in seven straight games and reached base in 13 consecutive contests.

Ohio Dominican and Hillsdale conclude their three-game series with a nine-inning contest at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu