MARIETTA, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican baseball team continued its stellar start to the season, capping its four-game series with Fairmont State Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep.

The Panthers cruised to a 10-3 victory in Game One at Marietta College on Sunday. Ohio Dominican then rallied from a four-run deficit to win 7-6 in extra innings of the night cap.

ODU improves its NCAA Division II program record to eight consecutive wins to start the 2021 season. Fairmont State finished its opening weekend of play 0-4.  

BOX SCORE NOTES

• Junior Thomas Staab (Bellville, Ohio) and sophomore Derek Kutrubs (Brunswick, Ohio) combined for seven of ODU's 12 hits in the opener and both finished the doubleheader with an average of .500 or better.
• Staab made history in Game One, stealing five bases, which ties a Great Midwest record.
• Sophomores Brennen Hunt (Ashland, Ohio) and Alex Brill (Amherst, Ohio) combined for eight runs scored. Hunt crossed home plate five times, including three occasions in the night cap.
• Brill also picked up the win on the mound in Game Two. The right hander tossed two innings and struck out four batters.
• Improving to 2-0 on the season with a Game One decision was sophomore Grayson Hamilton (Lebanon, Ohio).
• Ohio Dominican scored a combined six runs over the two seventh-inning frames on Sunday.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

• ODU opened up a scoreless stalemate in the top of the third inning with a four-run, two-out rally. Hits from Kutrubs and junior Zac Wilson (Hamilton, Ohio) drove in the final three runs after a Jace Komminsk (Westerville, Ohio) walk with the bases loaded scored Hunt.
• Wilson drove in another run on a sac fly in the top half of the fifth. Staab then hit a two-out single that saw Kutrubs cross home plate, giving the Panthers a 6-0 lead.
• Fairmont State scored all of its runs in the bottom of the fifth, taking advantage of three hits and one ODU error to score three times.
• Freshman Derek Bolander (Oregon, Ohio) entered with ODU leading by three runs in the bottom of the six and forced a fly out to right field with a pair of runners on base for the Fighting Falcons. Bolander pitched the seventh as well to earn his third save of the season.
• The Black & Gold responded with a four-run seventh inning to win 10-3. A ground rule double over the centerfield fence from senior Roger Danison (Carroll, Ohio) highlighted the rally.
• Ohio Dominican jumped out to an early lead in Game Two, taking advantage of five FSU errors over the first three innings. Hunt, who was hit by a pitch and doubled in his first two at-bats, scored both runs.
• Fairmont State's best offensive inning of the weekend came in the bottom of the third though. The Falcons scored six runs on five hits to capture a 6-2 advantage through three complete.
• ODU cut its deficit in half in the top of the sixth inning, scoring twice off a balk. The Panthers though, struck out in three of their final four at-bats of the frame and left the bases loaded.
• Redshirt freshman Tyler Sullivan (Cincinnati, Ohio) tossed three scoreless innings in relief to hold FSU to six runs. Sullivan allowed just one hit and struck out five batters.
• Ohio Dominican drew four walks in the top of the seventh inning and scored twice to tie the game at 6-all.
• Brill made his pitching debut in the bottom of the seventh, allowing one walk, but struck out the final batter of the frame to force extra innings.
• With two runners on in the eighth, sophomore David Silva (Tontogany, Ohio) hit a single through the left side to score Hunt, who led off the frame with a walk.
• Brill allowed two base hits in the bottom of the eighth but struck out three batters, including the final two to secure the win for ODU.  

UP NEXT

• ODU begins its Great Midwest Athletic Conference slate with a four-game series at Hillsdale.
• The Panthers and Chargers will begin the series with a single nine-inning game at 2 p.m., Friday, March 12.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu