COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican softball team welcomed the Chargers of Hillsdale for a doubleheader series with the top two teams in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The Chargers took a nail biter game one, 2-1, with the Panthers taking the nightcap, 4-1, resulting in a series split.
Among the ten team hits, only three players recorded two hits on the day.
McKenna Conley (Mt. Orab, Ohio) and
Braxton Downs (Louisville, Ky.) each had two hits with a run batted in. Sophomore
Kaleigh Golden (Thornville, Ohio) was the third Panther to record two hits on the day.
Senior
Addison Smodilla (Terre Haute, Ind.) picked up her tenth win of the season, allowing only one run and collecting three strikeouts.
Marlee Jacobs (Plain City, Ohio) snagged six strikeouts in the circle.
Game One
The Black and Gold grabbed their first hit in the bottom of the second inning with a single from
Kendrick Sterling (Crothersville, Ind.). The Chargers added two hits of their own in the top of the fourth inning.
Alli Madden (Cincinnati, Ohio) singled down the left field line in the bottom of the sixth inning. In the following frame, HC got on the board after three hits, making it 2-0.
ODU opened the bottom of the inning with a hit by pitch for Sterling. A pair of wild pitches and a walk loaded the bases for an RBI groundout from
Emily Holland (Mineral Ridge, Ohio), cutting the deficit in half. The Panthers left two on the base path and fell in the opening game 2-1.
Game Two
Ohio Dominican scored first in the bottom of the second inning after a pair of singles from Downs and Conley. A sacrifice fly form
Olivia Congleton (Belpre, Ohio) gave ODU an early 1-0 lead. HC matched the score in the top of the fourth inning with two hits.
Downs snagged her second hit of the game to beginning the bottom of the fourth frame. Sterling reached on an error before a sacrifice bunt from Conley moved the two into scoring position.
Gracie Jo Thompson (Ashville, Ohio) walked to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Downs, giving Ohio Dominican a 2-1 lead.
The Black and Gold doubled their score in the bottom of the fifth after back-to-back singles form
Liana Morreale (Gibsonia, Pa.) and
Alexis Stevens (Marion, Ohio). A double steal placed them on second and third for a sacrifice fly from Downs, scoring one. An RBI single from Conley made it 4-1.
Golden collected her second hit on the day in the bottom of the sixth, but was stranded at first. With the game on the line, the Chargers had no answer in their final at bat, giving ODU a 4-1 win in the nightcap.
Up Next
The Panthers return to action at Panther Field for a doubleheader against Cedarville University beginning at 2:00 PM. The three seniors will be recognized tomorrow for senior day during the games.
