MASON, Ohio - With the beginning of the 2023 Great Midwest Baseball Tournament on Wednesday (May 10), the Ohio Dominican Panthers baseball team started the tournament with a haymaker against the #2 seed, the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans. 

Ohio Dominican, the #7 seed, scored the first four runs and hung on to a 4-2 win over Trevecca Nazarene at Prasco Park. 

The Trojans threatened in the bottom of the first against starter Derek Bolander (Oregon, Ohio). Trevecca loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batter but Bolander got a strikeout to leave the bases juiced and the game scoreless. 

After stranding a pair of runners in the second, ODU struck first in the third inning. Brennen Hunt (Ashland, Ohio) started the inning with an infield single and went all the way to third on a Jordan Daniels (Blacklick, Ohio) single. Lane Marshall (Wooster, Ohio) plated Hunt with a sacrifice fly to center field. A single by Jack Mathey (Copley, Ohio) and hit by pitch by Alex Brill (Amherst, Ohio) loaded the bases for the Panthers. An error by the shortstop scored Daniels as ODU led 2-0. 

In the fifth inning, three singles and a fielder's choice put runners at every base with only one out. After Trevecca got the second out at the plate, another fielder's choice off the bat of Spencer Tammaro (New Albany, Ohio) added to the ODU lead at 3-0. 

The top of the Panther order led to another run in the sixth inning. Daniels and Marshall both singled and Mathey followed with a sacrifice fly to left field. Ohio Dominican pushed the advantage to 4-0. 

Trevecca cut the lead in half in the sixth off Max Whitesell (Dayton, Ohio). Myles Martinez (Columbus, Ohio) closed the door with three scoreless innings of relief. 

Daniels had three hits at the top of the order, scoring two runs. Marshall and Devan Nail (Elyria, Ohio) both had two hits apiece. Brill singled and was hit by two pitches as he reached base three times. 

Bolander scattered two hits and two walks over 4.2 scoreless innings. He fanned six batters in his first start in over a month. After Whitesell allowed two runs in one inning pitched, Martinez earned the win with his scoreless outing. 

The Panthers advance in the winner's bracket to face another low seed on Thursday (May 11). ODU will face Walsh at 1:30 PM on Legacy Field.