COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Dominican baseball team rallied from a Game One loss Saturday afternoon with a 9-1 victory in the nightcap to earn a series-opening doubleheader split with Ashland.

The Panthers conceded 23 hits in the opener, falling to the Eagles, 14-4. ODU then scored in five of its six offensive frames to claim the 9-1 triumph in Game Two. 

GAME ONE 

A leadoff home run from Michael Knapp (Elyria, Ohio) in the bottom of the fourth inning cut ODU's Game One deficit in half, 2-1. Thomas Staab (Bellville, Ohio) drove in a run in the seventh as well, but the Panthers trailed 6-2 with two innings to play. 

Ashland saw eight of its first nine hitters in the eighth inning reach safely, a rally that included four doubles and a home run. The Eagles used the eight-run inning to take a double-digit lead. ODU tallied two runs in the bottom half of the eighth, but could not overcome the AU offense, falling 14-4. 

Alex Brill (Amherst, Ohio) and Zac Wilson (Hamilton, Ohio) each collected two hits in the contest. Along with his homer, Knapp reached twice via walk in the opener.

On the mound, Marshall Flynn (Heath, Ohio) started, allowing four runs over five innings of work. Andrew Deyhle (Cincinnati, Ohio) tossed a scoreless inning in relief as well. 

GAME TWO

The Panthers never trailed in Game Two, while outhitting the Eagles, 9-5. ODU scored its first three runs of the game via defensive errors by Ashland.

A four-run third inning highlighted a fast start for the Black & Gold, who ended up scoring the first eight runs of the game. Michael McFadden (Brunswick, Ohio) drove in a pair of runs with a two-out double in the third, with Gianni Passarelli (Delaware, Ohio) also driving in a run in the frame with a base hit up the middle. McFadden and Jack Mathey (Copley, Ohio) each logged RBI singles in the fourth to place ODU in front, 8-0. 

A safety squeeze was executed to perfection in the bottom of the fifth by David Silva (Tontogany, Ohio), which scored Staab to give ODU the 9-1 lead. Staab led off the frame with an infield single. 

Brill started on the mound, moving to 3-0 this spring after going 4.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits. The junior also struck out four batters. Lane Marshall (Wooster, Ohio) inherited the bases loaded with one out in the fifth inning, before proceeding to strikeout back-to-back Eagles to keep them at bay. Marshall went 2.2 innings without allowing a run or hit. 

Mathey, McFadden and Staab each posted multiple hits to pace the Panther offense. 

UP NEXT

Ohio Dominican and Ashland will conclude their weekend set with a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Panther Valley on Sunday, April 24.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu