CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - After a split on day one, the Ohio Dominican Panthers baseball team returned to VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe for the second day of a non-conference series versus the Northwood Timberwolves on Saturday (March 11). 

The Panthers completed a Saturday sweep with wins of 2-1 and 8-2 as Ohio Dominican took three of four games from the #2 team in G-MAC North Division preseason poll.

GAME ONE

The first three and a half innings were scoreless as Panthers starter Marshall Flynn (Heath, Ohio) worked through some baserunner traffic with double plays in three consecutive innings. 

In the bottom of the fourth, David Silva (Tontogany, Ohio) singled to center field and swiped second base. One batter later, Alex Brill (Amherst, Ohio) singled home Silva for a 1-0 ODU lead. 

Just a few minutes later, Northwood tied the game in the top of fifth inning with a RBI single. 

Ohio Dominican struck back in the bottom of the fifth inning, breaking the short-lived tie. Lane Marshall (Wooster, Ohio) doubled with one out. Brennen Hunt (Ashland, Ohio) walked to force Northwood into the bullpen. After a pitching change, Jordan Daniels (Blacklick, Ohio) singled to load the bases with one out. Two batters later, Silva struck out but a wild pitch allowed him to reach base with Marshall scoring. Ohio Dominican took the 2-1 lead. 

Flynn scattered one run on five hits in five innings of work. He walked one batter and struck out two before handing the ball over to Myles Martinez (Columbus, Ohio).

Martinez fanned three batters in the sixth inning with one single allowed as he sent the game to the bottom of the sixth, still 2-1.

The seventh inning got close for the Panthers but the door was slammed shut. An error and hit batter started the seventh for Northwood. The Panthers erased the go-ahead run on an attempted double steal. Martinez got his fourth strikeout for the second out of the inning. He went 1.2 innings with one hit and four punchouts. 

Ohio Dominican brought in Brill from right field to close out the game. He hit his first batter before getting the game-closing out on a swing and a miss. 

Four different Panthers tallied hits in the first contest with Marshall, Daniels, Silva and Brill having base knocks. 

GAME TWO

Northwood drew first blood with a pair of runs in the first inning, taking the 2-0 lead before the Panthers had a chance to bat. 

One inning later, Ohio Dominican rallied back to tie the game at two. Michael O'Callaghan (Morrow, Ohio) opened the inning with a ball off the left field wall for a double. Michael Knapp (Elyria, Ohio) singled and stole second with O'Callaghan at third base. Marshall doubled home both runners with a shot down the left field line. 

Silva stole two bases in the third inning but the game remained tied at two. 

In the fourth inning, the Panthers gained the lead for the first time in the Saturday nightcap. Knapp walked as the leadoff batter and advanced to second on a passed ball. Marshall drove in his third run of the day with a RBI single up the middle. Three batters later after a pitching change, Jack Mathey (Copley, Ohio) doubled Marshall in as ODU led 4-2 after four innings. 

A four-run sixth inning blew the lid open for the Panthers, adding to the lead - making it 8-2. Hunt singled and stole second before Daniels reached on an infield bunt single, moving Hunt to third base. Daniels stole second on the first pitch of the next at-bat with a pitching change. Mathey brought Hunt home, pushing another pitching change for Northwood. Silva put the safety squeeze down, scoring Daniels on a RBI bunt single. A fielder's choice erased Mathey at third base but Silva stole third base to put runners on the corners with one out. O'Callaghan reached on another fielder's choice as Silva crossed the plate. Jake Scherette (Brunswick, Ohio) kept the train moving with a single. The Northwood pitcher attempted to pickoff Scherette but threw the ball into right field. O'Callaghan scored, capping the inning. 

Panthers hurler Max Whitesell (Dayton, Ohio) went the complete game with two first-inning runs allowed. He struck out seven batters, a career-high for him. 

With a season-high in runs and hits, the Panthers tallied eight runs on 13 hits. Five different players (Daniels, Silva, Mathey, Scherette and Marshall) had two hit contests. Eight of the nine starters had at least one hit. 

The Panthers are scheduled to open conference play on Friday (March 17), hosting Malone in Panther Valley. 

Contact: Tyler Stotsky
stotskyt@ohiodominican.edu