FINDLAY, Ohio - The Ohio Dominican Panthers baseball team kicked off a nine-game roadtrip this weekend with an important series with the University of Findlay Oilers on Friday (April 14) and Saturday (April 15). After the series was moved up due to weather, the Panthers ended the weekend with wins in three of the four games against the G-MAC South Division foe, the Oilers.
The teams split Friday's doubleheader with Findlay winning the first game 20-3 before ODU taking the nightcap 9-5. Ohio Dominican won both games on Saturday by final scores of 8-5 and 15-7. With the series win, Ohio Dominican improves to 18-18 overall and 11-9 in G-MAC play. The Panthers sit in second place within the G-MAC South Division and fifth in the G-MAC standings with three weekends of the regular season left.
GAME ONE (L, 20-3)
ODU opened the game first on the help of two Findlay errors in the first inning. Lane Marshall (Wooster, Ohio) singled and got to third base on a failed pickoff attempt. David Silva (Tontogany, Ohio) singled home Marshall and moved up on an error by the left fielder. Findlay answered back with a run in the bottom of the first inning.
One inning later, another two errors led to another run for the Panthers. Alex Brill (Amherst, Ohio) lined an one-out double and moved on an error by the left fielder. One batter later, Mason Kurtz (Ostrander, Ohio) brought home Brill with a RBI single with an error by the second baseman to follow. ODU took the 2-1 lead after an inning and a half.
Findlay scored 14 runs from the second inning to the sixth inning for a 15-2 lead.
In the seventh inning, Kurtz was hit by a pitch with Jordan Daniels (Blacklick, Ohio) singling him to third base. Marshall followed with a RBI single, scoring ODU's third run of the game.
The Oilers closed the game with five seventh inning runs, winning the series opener 20-3.
Marshall had three hits in the game while Kurtz tallied two hits of his own. Andrew Mouch (Cincinnati, Ohio) made his collegiate debut with two innings pitched while Casey Berglund (Liberty Township, Ohio) tossed a scoreless eighth inning with two strikeouts in his season debut.
GAME TWO (W, 9-5)
For the second time on Friday, ODU struck first on a bevy of Oiler errors. In the first inning, Daniels and Jack Mathey (Copley, Ohio) both walked prior to an infield error at third base allowed Daniels to score from second. For the second inning, Brill and Kurtz started the frame with back-to-back singles. Brennen Hunt (Ashland, Ohio) attempted a sacrifice bunt but the throw from the pitcher was off the mark, scoring Brill. Daniels grounded out to short, bringing home Kurtz. The lead grew to 4-0 with a wild pitch to score Hunt.
The home team cut closer with one run in the second and two in the third inning as the game was 4-3 after three inning.
A four-run fifth inning blew the game open for the Panthers, leading 8-3. Marshall got the inning started with a double with Mathey walking as the next batter. Findlay went to the bullpen with Silva coming to the plate. On a bunt single, the pitcher's bad throw scored Marshall with Mathey getting to third base. Silva swiped second before Mathey scored on a wild pitch. Michael McFadden (Brunswick, Ohio) blasted a two-run home run to left field.
Findlay tallied two runs in the fifth inning as the Panthers clung to an 8-5 lead.
In the sixth, Hunt walked as the leadoff batter and immediately stole second base. A Marshall single put runners on the corners with one out. A fielder's choice off the bat of Mathey erased Marshall at second base but scored Hunt for a RBI.
Six different batters had a hit in the game with Marshall getting two hits, giving him five hits on the day. Hunt scored twice with two stolen bases.
Max Whitesell (Dayton, Ohio) earned his fourth win of the year with five runs allowed in 4.1 innings of work. Myles Martinez (Columbus, Ohio) fanned five batters in 2.2 scoreless innings.
GAME THREE (W, 8-5)
Another fast start pushed the Panthers to an early 5-0 lead in the opening two innings. After two first inning singles from Marshall and Mathey, McFadden doubled home two runs to right field with Devan Nail (Elyria, Ohio) adding a two-run home run to right field. In the second, Daniels singled with two outs and got all the way to third on a two-base error by the left fielder. Marshall struck again with a RBI single up the middle.
Five runs in the fifth inning tied the game for Findlay. The game wasn't tied for long as ODU regained the lead in the sixth frame. A Nail infield single began the inning, with Brill sacrificing him over to second base. Nail scored on a RBI single to right field, ODU led 6-5.
The lead expanded in the seventh inning as the Panthers took an 8-5 lead in the final frame. Mathey singled and Silva walked in the first two batters of the inning. A fielder's choice loaded the bases with no outs. Nail brought home Mathey and Silva with a two-run single to left field.
Nail led the Panthers with three hits, two runs and four RBI. Marshall gained his third multi-hit game of the series, having two hits and one RBI. Mathey was three-of-four, scoring a pair of runs.
Marshall Flynn (Heath, Ohio) worked six innings with five runs allowed with five strikeouts as he improved to 3-5 on the season. Brill picked up his second save of the campaign with a scoreless seventh inning.
GAME FOUR (W, 15-7)
Back-to-back first inning doubles by Marshall and Mathey put ODU ahead 1-0 before Findlay answered in the bottom of the first inning with a run.
A two-out, two-run round-tripper by Brill in the fourth inning, putting the Panthers ahead 3-1.
Four runs crossed the plate one inning later with ODU taking an 7-1 advantage. The first four batters of the inning reached bases and all of them scored. Daniels singled to the shortstop with Marshall walking. Mathey doubled home both of them and came home to score on an E5 from Silva. The error put Silva at second base and he promptly stole third base. McFadden got Silva home with a sacrifice fly.
Individual runs in the seventh and eighth inning continued to add to the ODU lead. Silva added a solo shot to right field in the seventh before Michael Knapp (Elyria, Ohio) singled in the eighth inning, stole second base and scored on a RBI double from Daniels.
Findlay struck for three runs in the eighth and the ninth inning, with six ODU runs coming in the visiting side of the final inning. With the bases loaded, Hunt was hit by a pitch and Daniels was walked. The bases were cleared with a two-run single by Marshall and a throwing error to score the third runner. A Mathey double and wild pitch led to the final Panther run, the 35th and final run for the weekend.
The top three in the Panther lineup (Daniels, Marshall and Mathey) each had three hits while combining for six runs, three walks and seven RBI. Daniels scored twice and drove in two runs. Marshall scored a trio of runs with Mathey driving in three runs of his own with one run scored. Brill compiled two hits with two runs and two RBI. Six players in total scored two runs in the finale.
Michael Lesiecki (Ulrichsville, Ohio) worked around a number of walks to limit Findlay to one run allowed in 5.1 innings. He fanned five batters before making way for Martinez. The left-hander finished the sixth inning with a pair of strikeouts in a bases loaded jam.
The Panthers will continue the road trip at California (Pa.) on Wednesday (April 19) before heading to Tiffin next weekend.
