MASON, Ohio – Ohio Dominican's baseball team saw a chance to pick up a win in the G-MAC Baseball Tournament slip away as the Panthers fell 6-4 in extra innings to Trevecca on Thursday at Prasco Park.

The Panthers, who fell 5-4 to Walsh in the tournament opener, now must wait until 10 p.m. Sunday for the NCAA Selection Show to see if they earned an at large bid into the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament. ODU is 32-15 on the season and ranked No. 4 in the region, with the top-eight qualifying for the postseason.

ODU trailed the entire game and was down 3-1 entering the ninth, but sophomore Bernee Sanchez (Grove City, Ohio) sparked the rally with a leadoff walk. Senior Cody Paterniti (Chardon, Ohio) singled through the right side and junior Brad Hull (Gahanna, Ohio) reached on a fielder's choice bunt as the Trojans couldn't cut down Sanchez at third.

With the bases loaded and nobody out, junior Noah Bland (Oberlin, Ohio) lined a sacrifice fly to center to score Sanchez. However, later in the frame, Paterniti would be thrown at third trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt for the second out of the frame.

Senior Justin Childers (Pickerington, Ohio) drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch, and junior Colin Kaucher (Toledo, Ohio) lined a double into the right field corner to score Hull, but Childers was thrown out at the plate on a perfect rally to deny the game-winning run.

Trevecca then scored three runs in the tenth to pull in front, but the Panthers didn't go quietly. Sophomore Joey Machuga (Canfield, Ohio) lined a double to right-center, as did senior Max Banke (Oakwood, Ohio), to draw the Panthers to within 6-4.

Sanchez was hit by a pitch, but a ground out and a pop out ended the game as ODU would leave two runners in scoring position.

ODU finished with 11 hits in the game, but didn't crack the scoring column until the sixth. Trailing 3-0, Kaucher singled to start the frame, and with two outs Banke hit a ball that bounced off the top of the wall in left-center and squirted out towards center. Kaucher scored on the play, but Banke was gunned out on the plate on another terrific relay throw.

Hull narrowly missed a home run himself in the seventh, settling for a triple as well on a ball hit off the top of the wall in left-center.

Junior Brad Wilson (Alexandria, Ohio) was electric in relief for the Panthers, striking out 10 in 5.2 innings while allow just two hits and one walk to keep ODU in the ballgame.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu