COLUMBUS, Ohio – After watching an 11-run lead in game two dissipate, Ohio Dominican's baseball team rallied to score a 15-14 win over Tiffin as senior Austin Greene (Dublin, Ohio) lined a two out walkoff basehit to right field, scoring senior Jacob Horsley (Thornville, Ohio).

The game two win came on the heels of Horsley's own heroics in the opener when he smashed a two-out walkoff double to straightaway center to give ODU a 5-4 victory.

Greene's hit in game two ended a 3:40 marathon in which the Panthers built a 12-1 lead in the sixth and still led 14-7 heading into the ninth. Tiffin scored seven runs in that ninth, with five of those coming with two outs.

Horsley started the bottom of the ninth with a line drive single to center, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Colman Fitzgerald (Centerville, Ohio), and was still at second following a pop out.

Greene then turned on a 1-1 pitch and lined it to right field. Horsley's slide beat the tag, setting off a wild scene as the Panthers mobbed Greene at first base.

Greene, who had just six at bats and one hit in his career entering today, entered in the sixth inning as a pinch hitter. He drilled a two-run double to right center to put ODU in front 11-1, then scored on an RBI single by sophomore Max Banke (Oakwood, Ohio).

Tiffin answered with six runs in the seventh, though ODU tallied runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to take the 14-7 lead.

Horsley went 4-for-6 with two homers and five RBI as the Panthers pounded out 21 hits.

Freshman Colin Kaucher (Toledo, Ohio) went 3-for-6, and six Panthers had two hits apiece in game two.

In the first inning, sophomore Lee Sponseller (Mason, Ohio) ripped a triple to the gap in right center to chase home sophomore Justin Childers (Pickerington, Ohio), and Horsley followed with a basehit between short and third to put ODU in front 2-0.

Then, with two on in the third, Horsley crushed his third homer of the season, this one to left field, to extend the lead to 5-1. Freshman Robbie Jobe (Grove City, Ohio) then lined a double over the head of the right fielder to score Fitzgerald, and sophomore Cody Paterniti (Chardon, Ohio) singled through the left side. Jobe slid around the tag to score and give ODU a 7-1 lead.

Horsley's walkoff hit in the opener was the third of his career at Panther Valley. He had one against Wayne State in 2015 and a walkoff sacrifice fly against Ashland 2014.

The Panthers trailed 2-0 early but answered with a pair of runs in the third. Paterniti hit a liner back up the middle that ricocheted off of the pitcher's back and into shallow right field, scoring sophomore Jake Collinsworth (Cincinnati, Ohio). Later in the inning, Childers roped an RBI single to center that brought home Paterniti and evened the score.

Tiffin scored in the fourth to go back in front, but ODU answered in the fifth. Junior Kyle Burson (Brunswick, Ohio) started the inning with a bunt single up the third base line, and Sponseller lined an opposite field single to left to bring him in and tie the game.

The Dragons then started the sixth with three straight hits to take a 4-3 lead and had runners on second and third with nobody out. Freshman Derek Thobe (St. Henry, Ohio) entered in relief and induced a groundout, a shallow fly out and and another grounder to end the inning.

Fitzgerald drew a walk to start the bottom of the inning and later came in to score on a wild pitch, beating the throw with his slide to draw ODU even again.

Thobe set down the Dragons in order in the seventh to set the stage for Horsley's heroics.

Sponseller and Horsley each had two hits for the Panthers.

Ohio Dominican heads to Lake Erie for a four-game series beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu