WISE, Virginia - The Ohio Dominican Panthers (2-0) baseball team kicked off the 2024 season in a big way and managed a doubleheader sweep of the Virginia Wise Cavaliers on Sunday (Feb. 18). 

On the weight of 20 runs and 24 hits, the Panthers finished Opening Day with wins of 6-2 and 14-2. 

GAME ONE (W, 6-2)

After three scoreless innings, the Panthers opened the lead to 2-0 in the fourth inning. Lane Marshall (Wooster, Ohio) walked and stole second base with one out in the frame. Jack Mathey (Copley, Ohio) singled home the first baseman with a shot through the left side of the infield. After a double by Michael McFadden (Brunswick, Ohio) and a walk by Spencer Tammaro (New Albany, Ohio), CJ Dean (Columbus, Ohio) drove Mathey with the bases loaded on a sacrifice fly. 

The Cavaliers cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fourth inning but the Panthers scored in each of the final three innings to pull away. Brennen Hunt (Ashland, Ohio) singled and eventually scored on a RBI single by Marshall for a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning. 

For the sixth inning, Gianni Passarelli (Delaware, Ohio) doubled down the right field line before being lifted for a pinch runner - Michael Knapp (Elyria, Ohio). Hunt came through with a RBI single, scoring Knapp from second base and giving ODU a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning. 

Two more runs scored in the seventh inning for Ohio Dominican on three different hits. Mathey started the inning with a single and got into scoring position by a groundout and a passed ball. Tammaro and Dean followed with back-to-back RBI knocks as Tammaro doubled home the first run. Dean had a RBI single to close the Panther scoring. 

UVA Wise got one more run across in the seventh inning with ODU winning 6-2 in the opener. 

Mathey, Tammaro and Hunt all had two hits each in the first contest while eight starters notched hits. Ohio Dominican stole four bases in game one. 

Michael Lesiecki (Uhrichsville, Ohio) went the distance for his second career complete game. The left-hander threw seven innings with two runs allowed on six hits. He walked one batter and struck out two. 

GAME TWO (W, 14-2)

The scoring carried over to the beginning of the second game with four straight multi-run innings. Two runs crossed the plate before the Cavaliers went to bat for the first time. Jordan Daniels (Blacklick, Ohio) started the game with a hit by pitch and immediately stole second base. After a Marshall single, Mathey brought Daniels home with a sacrifice fly before Tammaro singled home Marshall. 

Just like game one, UVA Wise answered in the bottom half of that same inning. In the second inning with the bases loaded by two walks and a bunt single by Peter Jelenic (Medina, Ohio), Marshall doubled home two runs. Mathey plated the third run for the frame and fifth run for the game on a ground out to shortstop. 

Four runs in the third inning elevated the ODU lead to 9-1. Dean drilled a solo home run to left field for his first long ball of the season. Jake Scherette (Brunswick, Ohio) was hit by a pitch and Hunt reached on an infield single. Jelenic singled home Scherette, forcing a pitching change. Daniels greeted the new Cavalier hurler with a RBI single of his own. An error on a Daniels stolen base allowed Jelenic to score. Two more walks and a pair of stolen bases were tallied but the game was 9-1 going to the bottom of the third. 

A solo blast for UVA Wise in the third had the score change to 9-2. A five spot in the fourth inning gave the Panthers a 14-2 lead, which would be the final. Scherette tripled home Dean, who walked as the leadoff man. Jelenic pushed Scherette home with a sacrifice fly. Two free passes after a pitching change loaded the bases for ODU. Mathey singled through the right side for two RBI and McFadden ended the offense with another sacrifice fly. 

As a team, Ohio Dominican totaled 13 hits. Scherette went three-for-three with three runs scored while Jelenic and Hunt both had two hit games. Mathey drove in four runs as Daniels scored three runs. After four stolen bases in the first game, ODU had five steals with Daniels earning three and Marshall getting two swipes. 

Trayce Mercer (Troy, Ohio) made his first career start, going five innings for the win. Mercer struck out seven batters with two runs surrendered on four hits and four walks. Knapp appeared on the mound for a relief appearance - his collegiate debut as a pitcher. Knapp finished the game with two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. 

The series will conclude on Monday (Feb. 19) at 12 noon with two games.