COLUMBUS, Ohio – A complete game shutout by sophomore Brad Wilson (Alexandria, Ohio) in game one and a key two-run double by sophomore Colin Kaucher (Toledo, Ohio) in game two carried Ohio Dominican's baseball team to a doubleheader sweep (3-0, 8-7) over Findlay Saturday afternoon.

With the wins, ODU improved to 20-16 (11-10 GLIAC), while the Oilers fell to 17-18 (7-15 GLIAC).

Wilson went the distance in the opener, scattering five hits and walking one while fanning eight Oiler hitters. He threw 64 of his 96 pitches for strikes and did not yield an extra base hit.

Findlay, in fact, had just one runner reach scoring position, putting men on the corners with one out in the first inning. Wilson punched out the final two batters of the inning, then did not yield another hit until the fifth inning. He also induced a pair of double play grounders.

The complete game shutout was his second of the season after doing the same against Notre Dame on March 11.

The Panther offense backed him with runs in the second, fifth and sixth innings. In the second inning and with sophomore Genesis Hillard (Cincinnati, Ohio) on second base, junior Cody Paterniti (Chardon, Ohio) lined the first pitch he saw to center to score Hillard and give ODU a 1-0 lead.

Sophomore Noah Bland (Oberlin, Ohio) started the fifth inning with a basehit, advanced to third on a pair of groundouts, then scored on an infield single by junior Lee Sponseller (Mason, Ohio) to give ODU a 2-0 cushion.

Junior Justin Childers (Pickerington, Ohio) capped the scoring by hitting the first pitch he saw in the sixth inning over the wall in right field for an opposite field solo shot.

Childers and Sponseller each finished 2-for-3 to lead the offense, which finished with eight hits.

In game two, the Panthers had a 5-3 lead wiped away as the Oilers scored four times in the seventh to go in front 7-5.

Paterniti hit an RBI grounder to draw the Panthers within 7-6 in the bottom of the inning, and senior Kyle Burson (Brunswick, Ohio) struck out the Findlay side in order in the eighth to keep it a one-run game.

With one out in the bottom of the inning, senior Tony Evans (Medway, Ohio) singled and Childers drew a walk to put two on. Down in the count 1-2, Kaucher hit a ball to the wall in left center, and Childers chased Evans home to score the go-ahead run. ODU had been just 1-of-13 with runners in scoring position prior to Kaucher's double.

Burson yielded a leadoff double in the ninth, but set down the next three Findlay hitters to preserve the lead and the win.

Working in relief of sophomore Garret Sendelbach (Tiffin, Ohio), Burson worked the final 2.2 innings and allowed two hits and walked a batter. He threw 30 of his 46 pitches for strikes in improving to 4-3 on the spring. Sendelbach allowed four earned runs and seven hits in 6.1 innings.

Evans hit a solo shot to left center in the first inning, and in the third Sponseller hit a blast to just left of center that hit the top of the fence and bounced over for another solo homer. That cut the Panther deficit to 3-2, and ODU would score a run in each of the next three innings to take the lead.

Bland singled to center to start the fourth, stole second and third base, then scored on a basehit by Sponseller to tie the game. Childers led off the fifth inning with a line drive homer over the wall in left center to give ODU its first lead, and Bland legged out a triple to right center to start the sixth and scored on Paterniti's grounder to give ODU a 5-3 advantage.

ODU pounded out 14 hits in the contest, led by Bland's 3-for-4 effort. Sponseller finished 3-for-5, and Evans, Childers and Kaucher each had a pair of hits for the Panthers.

Ohio Dominican and Findlay conclude their series with a doubleheader starting at noon Sunday in Panther Valley.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu