COLUMBUS, Ohio – On Sunday afternoon, the Ohio Dominican softball team opened conference play at the University of Findlay. The Panthers swept the Oilers, 10-0 in six innings and 11-4 in seven.

Kaleigh Golden (Thornville, Ohio) went 5-8 from the plate, snagging two RBIs and three stolen bases. The sophomore also accounted for four runs. Gracie Jo Thompson (Ashville, Ohio) went a perfect 4-4 in the second game with three doubles and three RBIs. Freshman Kendrick Sterling (Crothersville, Ind.) led the way with four RBIs on the day, including a two-run home run in the first game.

In the circle, Marlee Jacobs (Plain City, Ohio) improves to 9-2 on the season, collecting her third shutout. The freshman netted five strikeouts in six innings. In the nightcap, senior Addison Smodilla (Terre Haute, Ind.) started the contest and collected two strikeouts. Freshman Samantha Schaefer (Louisville, Ky.) came in and pitched the final three innings, allowing no runs and only two hits to grab the win.

Game One

Golden began the opening frame with a single and would later come around to score, giving ODU an early 1-0 lead. The Black and Gold added another run in the top of the third off a passed ball, bringing their lead to 2-0.

More of the same occurred in the top of the fourth inning with six different Panthers collecting hits, including a two-run home run from Sterling. Ohio Dominican extended their lead to 7-0. ODU put it away with another strong inning in the top of the sixth. The Black and Gold added five hits, resulting in three runs to take the first game in six innings, 10-0.

Game Two

The Panthers remained strong at the plate to start the second game with two singles. The Oilers opened the scoring in the bottom of the third with two runs off of two hits and an error. ODU responded in the top of the next frame to match the scoring at 2-all after a single from Sterling and a double from Thompson.

UF strung together four more hits in the bottom of the fifth frame to add two more runs to their score, taking a 4-2 lead. Once again, the Black and Gold had an answer, tying it a 4-all in the top of the sixth with three hits.

In their final at-bat, Ohio Dominican dominated at the plate notching five hits and adding seven runs to take an 11-4 lead going into the bottom of the frame where the team retired the first three batters. The Panthers took home an 11-4 win, completing the sweep.

Up Next

Ohio Dominican takes a day off before heading to Tiffin University on Tuesday (March 28) for a doubleheader starting at 2:00 PM.

Contact: Bailee Worley

worleyb@ohiodominican.edu