Box Score WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Thirteen innings wasn't enough to decide a winner between Ohio Dominican and Grand Valley State's baseball teams as Wednesday's non-league contest ended in a 4-4 tie due to darkness.
This is the first tie for the program since Feb. 29, 2004 in a 3-3 game against Georgetown College.
The Panthers (5-2-1) trailed 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth before scoring a run to draw even, then stayed alive in the 10th inning with another run to force the game to continue before it was finally halted after 13 complete innings.
Sophomore Lee Sponseller (Mason, Ohio) and freshman Colin Kaucher (Toledo, Ohio) each had three hits while freshman Gage Taylor (Morrow, Ohio) and junior Tony Evans (Medway, Ohio) each tallied a pair of hits.
Sophomore Joe Filosa (Fort Wayne, Ind.) started and worked 7.2 innings, allowing three runs while striking out six.
After GVSU (4-4-1) took a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth, the Panthers came back to tie it in the bottom half. With nobody on and two outs, sophomore Justin Childers (Pickerington, Ohio) reached on an error, went to second on a balk, then came in to score on Taylor's basehit to center.
The Lakers regained a one-run lead in the 10th, but ODU again had a response. Sponseller doubled to start the inning and took third on a wild pitch. Senior Jacob Horsley (Thornville, Ohio) lifted a sacrifice fly to bring Sponseller home and knot the game again.
GVSU put two runners on in both the 12th and 13th frames but could not score, and ODU managed just one baserunner in each inning with neither reaching scoring position.
The Panthers scored in the opening frame as Kaucher had a one-out double to center and Evans lined a single to bring him in. GVSU scored twice in the second inning, and the score remained that way until the sixth when Sponseller drilled an opposite field home run to start the inning.
The homer was the second for Sponseller this year and the eighth of his career.
ODU finished with 13 hits in the contest compared to 14 for GVSU. Pitching in relief, sophomores Jeff Paul (St. Henry, Ohio), Matt Kittelberger (Massillon, Ohio) and Tyler Magley (Baltimore, Ohio) allowed just one hit while striking out four over the final 3.1 innings.
Ohio Dominican continues its spring break trip with a game against Winona State at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu
