COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican softball team gears up for the fourth annual Independence Bank Blue Bridge Battle this weekend. The Panthers will travel to Evansville, Indiana to play Missouri-St. Louis, Quincy, #9 Indianapolis, and (RV) Alabama-Huntsville on Friday and Saturday.

About Ohio Dominican
The Black and Gold enter the weekend with a 6-2 record after going 3-1 for the second weekend, including a 4-2 win over #2 Grand Valley State.

Leading the way for the squad was Kaleigh Golden (Thornville, Ohio) with a .500 average. The junior went 6-12 from the plate, accounting for four runs with a double and three walks. Following her was Alexis Stevens (Marion, Ohio) with a .417 average, going 5-12 from the plate. Stevens had four doubles, resulting in five runs batted in and had a stolen base.

Outfielders, Emily Walker (Plain City, Ohio) and Lindsey Potter (Plain City, Ohio) both had two doubles on the weekend. Walker hit .300 while Potter had a .250 average. Potter also drove in three runs with Walker driving in one.

In the circle, Marlee Jacobs (Plain City, Ohio) picked up two wins in her two complete games. The sophomore allowed only two earned runs while striking out 11. Jacobs collected a 1.00 ERA. Fellow pitcher, Grace Hammer (Uniontown, Ohio) snagged her win against #2 GVSU. She retired seven while giving up one earned run and also had a 1.00 ERA. Addison Smodilla (Terre Haute, Ind.) notched seven strikeouts in her 6.0 innings in the circle.

About The Opponents
The Tritons enter the weekend with a 2-1 overall record. UMSL will open the Battle with ODU before taking on five other teams over the three days. Ohio Dominican is 0-3 against Missouri-St. Louis dating back to their first meeting in 2014 at the NCAA Midwest Regional. In their last meeting last season at the Regional, the Tritons defeated the Panthers 5-2.

The Hawks are 1-3 on the season, picking up their only win at the Music City Tournament over Parkside. Dating back to the 2011 season, Ohio Dominican is 5-2 against Quincy. The two last met for a double header in 2022, where ODU came out on top, 9-0 and 2-1. Quincy takes on Tiffin before battling the Panthers.

The #9 Greyhounds, and former Panther Braxton Downs, enter the weekend with a 6-1 mark on the season. UIndy is 22-7 against ODU since the 2011 season. They defeated Ohio Dominican last season in Columbus, 13-6 and 6-1. Indianapolis will play Northwood, Ferris State, and Trevecca Nazarene before seeing Ohio Dominican.

The Chargers are 8-5 this spring before heading to the Blue Bridge Battle. UAH is 3-1 against ODU, dating back to 2011. Last year, the Black and Gold took down the #23 Chargers, 5-4, at the Charger Chillout. Alabama-Huntsville will play Davis & Elkins on Friday before taking on Ohio Dominican on Saturday afternoon.

First Pitch
On Friday, the Panthers take on the Tritons at 3:00 PM EST on field 2 before heading to field 5 at 5:00 PM EST to face the Hawks of Quincy. Saturday begins and ends on field 1 with #9 Indianapolis at 1:00 PM EST and (RV) Alabama-Huntsville at 3:00 PM EST.