COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican softball team will return to Panther Field on Wednesday (April 26) and Thursday (April 27) to wrap up their regular season schedule. The Panthers will host the Chargers of Hillsdale College on Wednesday and the Yellow Jackets of Cedarville University on Thursday.

Opening First Pitch                         

• The Black and Gold went 8-0 over the week, securing their place in the Great Midwest Athletic Tournament next week. The Panthers sit at 31-16 overall and post an 18-2 mark in the conference.
• After collecting 18 hits, including six doubles and two homeruns, senior Braxton Downs (Louisville, Ky.) was recognized as the G-MAC Softball Player of the Week. Downs added 12 runs batted in, bringing her season total to 50, good enough to lead the conference. The Kentucky native also leads the G-MAC in doubles with 20.
• Outfielders, Alli Madden (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Kaleigh Golden (Thornville, Ohio) also recorded double figure hit weeks with Madden snagging 12 and Golden grabbing 11. Madden netted nine stolen bases, marking her season total at 28, ranking third among conference players. Golden sits second in total hits with 62 on the year and recorded her first career homerun.
• Along with Downs, McKenna Conley (Mt. Orab, Ohio) hit two homeruns and two doubles. Conley added eight RBIs and a stolen base. Freshman Kendrick Sterling (Crothersville, Ind.) notched eight RBIs as well with a homerun and a double.
• In the circle, Marlee Jacobs (Plain City, Ohio) went a perfect 4-0 and picked up her first save. The freshman collected 18 strikeouts and a 1.56 ERA in 27.0 innings pitched. Senior Addison Smodilla (Terre Haute, Ind.) recorded a 3-0 record and picked up nine strikeouts. Sophomore Liana Morreale (Gibsonia, Pa.) grabbed her first win on the rubber last weekend in her 4.0 innings pitched.

About Hillsdale

• The Chargers currently hold a second place spot in the G-MAC standings with a conference record of 16-4 and an overall mark of 30-17.
• HC holds a 15-10 record over ODU despite the Panthers defeating the Chargers 3-0 in the G-MAC Tournament a season ago. Hillsdale holds a conference low ERA of 1.79 and a high of 79 doubles.
• Sophomore Joni Russell is first with a 0.70 ERA in 149.2 innings pitched. Russell has a 15-6 record in the circle and has 212 strikeouts on the season. Fellow sophomore, Emma Vis, nets a team high batting average of .340 with nine doubles, two triples, and two homeruns.
• Junior Hailey Holtman leads the team with 13 doubles and has a .316 batting average. Erin Kapteyn has a 12-6 mark on the rubber with 67 strikeouts in 105.0 innings pitched.
• As a team, Hillsdale has a .280 batting average and are on a five game winning streak heading to Sunbury Road. The Chargers will also face Findlay this weekend.

About Cedarville

• The Yellow Jackets are currently tied for fourth in the conference with a G-MAC record of 13-7 and an overall mark of 19-23. Cedarville is 4-8 against Ohio Dominican with their last win coming in May of 2021on their home turf.
• Freshman Dana Bertke leads the team with a .410 batting average. Bertke has four doubles and a six triples, tied for second in the conference. The outfielder has a team high 20 stolen bases.
• In the circle, Casey Bertke holds a 10-10 record in 129.2 innings pitched. The junior has 101 strikeouts and a 2.59 ERA. At the plate, C. Bertke leads the Yellow Jackets with 25 RBIs.
• Fellow junior, Adaline Ziehmer, has a 7-6 record with two saves and three shutouts. Ziehmer has recorded 65 strikeouts in 85.0 innings pitched.
• As a team, the Yellow Jackets have a .261 batting average and a 3.40 ERA this season. Cedarville will also take on Malone this weekend.

Weekend Schedule
The Panthers will host Hillsdale on Wednesday for a doubleheader series beginning at 3:00 PM at Panther Field. On Thursday, Cedarville comes to town for two games starting at 2:00 PM. The seniors, Braxton Downs, Addison Smodilla, and McKenna Conley will be honored during one of the games this week for their dedication to the program and University throughout their time at Ohio Dominican.