WISE, Virginia - The Ohio Dominican Panthers (4-0) baseball team carried over the momentum from the Sunday (Feb. 18) doubleheader wins and finished off a four-game series sweep over the Virginia Wise Cavaliers (3-10) on Monday (Feb. 19).
With two more wins on Monday, the Panthers are 4-0 for the first time since 2021. Ohio Dominican started the day with a 9-6 win before ending the nightcap with a 2-0 shutout by
Brian Allen (Troy, Ohio).
GAME ONE (W, 9-6)
The second inning put the Panthers ahead with four runs coming home. Six batters reached with two outs in the inning, leading to four runs.
Jake Scherette (Brunswick, Ohio) reached on a fielder's choice that erased a walk by
Spencer Tammaro (New Albany, Ohio).
Austin Evans (Kings Mills, Ohio) tripled home Scherette and then crossed the plate off of a two-run home run to left center field by
Brennen Hunt (Ashland, Ohio).
Peter Jelenic (Medina, Ohio) was hit by a pitch before
Jordan Daniels (Blacklick, Ohio) singled up the middle.
Lane Marshall (Wooster, Ohio) doubled to cap the four-run inning as Ohio Dominican led 4-0.
Scherette followed up with a solo home run to right center in the third inning as the lead ballooned to 5-0. The Cavaliers cut the lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the third inning against left-hander
Chase Hunt (Ashland, Ohio).
Tammaro doubled home a pair of runs in the fourth inning for the Panthers to regain a five-run advantage, 7-2. Marshall singled while
Jack Mathey (Copley, Ohio) was hit by a pitch before the senior outfielder Tammaro put a ball down the left field line.
Virginia Wise got the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth against C. Hunt, forcing the Panthers to make a pitching change.
Max Whitesell (Dayton, Ohio) entered the game as a wild pitch brought a run home for UVA Wise. The game was 7-3 in favor of the Panthers as the game shifted towards the fifth. A solo Wise home run in the fifth inning continued to chip away at the ODU lead, as the Cavaliers still trailed 7-4.
For the second time in three innings, Tammaro struck again with two runners on. He doubled home two runners in the sixth inning to expand the ODU lead to 9-4.
In the final two innings, the Cavaliers got two runs back and brought the tying run on deck.
Derek Bolander (Oregon, Ohio) got out of trouble to seal the 9-6 win in the opener for Monday's doubleheader.
Marshall had three hits in the first game, including two doubles and a run scored. Tammaro accounted for four RBI and two doubles. The Panthers scored nine runs on 11 hits with seven extra-base hits.
C. Hunt gave up three runs on five hits and five walks in 3.2 innings pitched with two strikeouts. Whitesell got the win with two runs surrendered in 1.2 innings, punching out four batters. Bolander earned the save with one run allowed, fanning two.
GAME TWO (W, 2-0)
CJ Dean (Columbus, Ohio) went deep for the second time in the series, putting the Panthers up 1-0 in the second inning.
Allen, the freshman righty, worked through the Cavaliers to keep them off the scoreboard in his collegiate debut. UVA Wise got runners in scoring position in the first three innings but could not score. In the third inning, the Panthers cut down a runner at the plate as B. Hunt threw a runner on a fielder's choice.
With Allen holding the Cavaliers scoreless, Ohio Dominican added another insurance run in the fifth inning.
Mason Kurtz (Ostrander, Ohio) started the inning with his second double of the contest. He scored on a fielder's choice by Daniels as the Panthers led 2-0.
Allen finished with a seven-inning complete game shutout. He allowed two hits (both singles) with four strikeouts and four walks. Allen is the first freshman to throw a complete game shutout in the Division 2 era (2011-present) at Ohio Dominican, let alone in his first collegiate start.
Kurtz had two hits in the game, both of them for two bases. Four other Panthers had hits with
Michael McFadden (Brunswick, Ohio) adding the third double.
Ohio Dominican will face #17 Seton Hill on Sunday (Feb. 25) afternoon for a doubleheader at 12:00 PM.
