CLERMONT, Fla. — Ohio Dominican's softball team defeated Bridgeport by a final score of 5-4 and dropped a 2-0 contest to West Chester on Thursday at the NTC Spring Games.

The Panthers (11-11, 0-0 GLIAC) are 5-3 on their spring break trip to Florida and will conclude play on Friday with contests against Edinboro at 8 a.m. and Concordia-St. Paul at 10:30 a.m.

In game one Thursday, ODU used one run in the top of the seventh to key a 5-4 win over Bridgeport. With two outs in the top of the seventh, Ohio Dominican junior Taylor Kline (Bellville, Ohio) singled down the left field line. Then in the next at bat, senior Kelly Wallace (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) singled and advanced to second base on the throw, scoring Kline and giving ODU the go-ahead run, 5-4.

In the bottom of the seventh with two outs and the bases loaded, sophomore pitcher Abby Lamping (Cleves, Ohio) recorded a strikeout in Bridgeport's final at bat, ending the game and earning the win for ODU, 5-4.  

Ohio Dominican recorded eight hits in the contest, with Kline finishing 3-for-3 with one triple. Wallace recorded one hit, marking the eighth time in the last nine games the senior has finished with at least one hit. Senior Casey Murdoch (Morrow, Ohio) went 2-for-3 while also pitching 4.2 innings in the circle for the Panthers. Junior Liz Sutter (Mansfield, Ohio) finished 1-for-3, and junior Bailey Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio) also recorded one hit for ODU.

Against West Chester, the Panthers held the Golden Rams to just two runs on six hits, but fell by a final score of 2-0. Kline went 3-for-3 for ODU, finishing 6-for-6 on the day. Lamping went six innings in the circle, allowing just one earned run.

Ohio Dominican faces Edinboro on Friday at 8 a.m. and Concordia-St. Paul at 10:30 a.m. in the final contests of the 2017 NTC Spring Games for the squad.

Contact: Aaron McPherson
mcphersa@ohiodominican.edu