COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the third day in a row, the Ohio Dominican softball team split on their home field. This time, the Black and Gold fell in game one to Saginaw Valley State, 5-3, and won the second game, 6-2.

Both, Alli Madden (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Olivia Congleton (Belpre, Ohio) went 3-3 from the plate. Madden accounted for three runs, with a double and two stolen bases. Congleton had two doubles and two runs batted in.

Senior, Emily Walker (Plain City, Ohio) had three hits as well. Walker had a double with an RBI and a stolen base. Kaleigh Golden (Thornville, Ohio) and Alexis Stevens (Marion, Ohio) had two hits, including a double each. Stevens batted in two while Golden scored twice. Both had a stolen base.

In the circle, Marlee Jacobs (Plain City, Ohio) started game one and retired three in her 3.1 innings. Grace Hammer (Uniontown, Ohio) came in and struck out five, surpassing the 500-career strikeout mark. In the second game, Addison Smodilla (Terre Haute, Ind.) went the distance, picking up five strikeouts and allowing only two runs on four hits.

Game One
Scoring happened in the top of the fourth inning with Saginaw Valley State plating four off six hits. In the bottom of the frame, Walker secured the first hit for the Black and Gold but was stranded on first.

In the top of the fifth, Hammer retired all three Cardinals. The Panthers got on the board in the bottom half of the inning with Congleton leading off with a double down the right field line. Gracie Jo Thompson (Asheville, Ohio) reached first on an error, scoring Congleton, and then scored off another SVSU error, making it 4-2. A Stevens' double scored another, making it 4-3.

In the top of the six, Saginaw Valley went ahead 5-3. ODU added three hits in their last two at bats but couldn't answer the Cardinals.

Game Two
Once again, SVSU scored first, this time in the opening inning taking a 1-0 lead. ODU responded with a leadoff double from Golden, who eventually scored thanks to a Madden stolen base, tying it at 1-all.

In the bottom of the third, The Black and Gold extended their lead to 4-1 off five hits. In the next inning, Madden and Walker doubled and Stevens singled to plate two more, making it 6-1. A solo home run in the top of the fifth made it 6-2, but Saginaw has nothing left, giving ODU the win.

Up Next
The Panthers return to Panther Field this weekend as they host Cedarville and Thomas More.