Box Score FINDLAY, Ohio – Ohio Dominican's baseball team will enter the G-MAC Tournament as the regular season champs and the overall No. 1 seed following an 8-4 victory at Findlay on Sunday.
The Panthers (32-13, 18-7 G-MAC) took that four-run lead into the ninth, waited through an hour-long weather delay, then junior Brad Wilson (Alexandria, Ohio) finished off the win with consecutive strikeouts.
ODU will play an opponent to be determined at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the first round of the G-MAC Tournament at Mason's Prasco Park.
Junior Mitchell Bault (Maineville, Ohio) was electric, striking out a career-high 11 while allowing just five hits and one run over 6.0 innings. The right-hander threw 60 of his 93 pitches for strikes and improved to 6-2 on the spring. He struck out 47.8 percent of the hitters he faced, and this is the second time this spring that Bault has registered at least 10 punchouts.
A five-run sixth inning by the offense proved to be the difference. Holding a 2-1 lead entering the frame, sophomore Joey Machuga (Canfield, Ohio) walked to start things off, then came in to score after consecutive singles by senior Max Banke (Oakwood, Ohio) and junior Genesis Hillard (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Banke then scored on a basehit by senior Cody Paterniti (Chardon, Ohio) and junior Brad Hull (Gahanna, Ohio) delivered a two-run double down the left field line, plating both Hillard and Paterniti, extending the lead to 6-1. He later came into score on a throwing error to cap the inning and put ODU on top 7-1.
Hull had a squeeze bunt in the eighth that made the score 8-2 and the Oilers (22-15, 15-10 G-MAC) managed two runs in the bottom half, but no more.
ODU had trailed 1-0 going into the fifth inning and had two out and nobody on before Hull drew a walk. Junior Noah Bland (Oberlin, Ohio) followed by ripping a triple to left center, and senior Justin Childers (Pickerington, Ohio) followed with an RBI double to give the Panthers their first lead at 2-1.
Junior Chris Sackett (Loveland, Ohio) and Hillard each had two hits, while Machuga drew a pair of walks and Hull had three RBIs to highlight the offensive production.
Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu
