COLUMBUS, Ohio – Conference play begins for the Ohio Dominican softball team this weekend with a trip to the University of Findlay on Sunday (March 26).

The Black and Gold are coming off two wins against Saginaw Valley State this past Monday, winning the first game 2-1 and the second 8-1. Ohio Dominican shifts to 12-11 on the season with the G-MAC schedule ahead.

Opening First Pitch

• Junior Alli Madden (Cincinnati, Ohio) went 4-7 from the plate with a double and a triple on Monday. The outfielder recorded a .571 batting average and accounted for two runs at the beginning of the week.
• Three different players netted a .500 batting average over the doubleheader with Braxton Downs (Louisville, Ky.) leading the way for the Panthers with two doubles, a homerun, and five runs batted in. The senior is ranked second in the conference with eight doubles in the 2023 campaign.
•  Both Kaleigh Golden (Thornville, Ohio) and Alexis Stevens (Marion, Ohio) went 3-6 and accounted for two runs. Golden collected a double with Stevens snagging three RBIs and a stolen base.
• In the circle, freshman Marlee Jacobs (Plain City, Ohio) and senior Addison Smodilla (Terre Haute, Ind.) held the Cardinals to only one run in each game. Jacobs registered five strikeouts in her complete game and Smodilla recorded a career-high of 10 strikeouts in hers.
• The Black and Gold outscored the Cardinals 10-2 and outhit SVSU 16-8. The Panthers hold a .306 batting average, ranking third best in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference behind Trevecca Nazarene (.320) and this week's opponent, Findlay (.319).

About Findlay

• The Oilers are 15-6 on the season before opening their conference schedule with Ursuline College on Friday (March 24).
• UF leads the conference in doubles with 39 and is second in triples with 10. They also have the highest slugging percentage (.454) and second highest batting average (.319).
• Junior Avery Shepherd posts the .459 batting average, good enough to lead the conference. Shepherd has 34 hits with nine doubles, two triples, and 14 runs batted in.
• On the rubber, Emma Jones holds an 8-1 record in 47.1 innings pitched. The sophomore posts a 1.92 ERA and averages 4.44 strikeouts per seven innings.
• The Panthers have a 21-11 record over the Oilers in the Division II Era heading into the Sunday series with Findlay going 3-2 against Ohio Dominican last season.
• The teams split in the regular season at Panther Field. In the G-MAC tournament, UF defeated ODU in the second round but fell to the Black and Gold in the Championship game.
• The two would meet again in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional in Indianapolis with the Oilers coming out on top in the second round, 2-0.

Weekend Schedule

The Findlay series is set for Sunday at 1:00 and 3:00 PM at Anderson Field.

Contact: Bailee Worley

worleyb@ohiodominican.edu