WHEELING, W. Va. - The Ohio Dominican Panthers (9-7) baseball team picked up their second straight win on the road in the opening game of a short home-and-home series with the Wheeling Cardinals (9-8). 

Ohio Dominican took the first game of the series 14-9 at J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex on Thursday (March 21) with the second leg coming next week in Panther Valley. 

The Panthers started off hot with seven runs in the first four innings. Jordan Daniels (Blacklick, Ohio) opened the game with an infield single and stole second base right off the cuff. After a flyout, Daniels scored on a sacrifice fly by Spencer Tammaro (New Albany, Ohio) for the first run. 

In the second inning, Gianni Passarelli (Delaware, Ohio) reached on an error and advanced into scoring position on a double by Sam Battles (Norwalk, Ohio). Brennen Hunt (Ashland, Ohio) scored two runs with a two-run single before Peter Jelenic (Medina, Ohio) drilled a two-run home run to right field. Ohio Dominican led 5-0 through an inning and a half. 

Hunt followed the Daniels plan from the first inning with an infield single and quick stolen base in the fourth. A sacrifice bunt moved the runner up ninety feet to third base. Daniels brought Hunt home with a RBI single and after a stolen base, Lane Marshall (Wooster, Ohio) made it 7-0 with a RBI single to left field. 

Wheeling began to chip away with a solo home run in the fourth inning and a two-run blast in the fifth inning as they pulled within 7-3. 

For the third time, Daniels singled and swiped a base in the sixth inning to help ODU with some insurance. Tammaro allowed Daniels to cross the plate and Passarelli later scored CJ Dean (Columbus, Ohio), who singled and stole second base. 

One Cardinal run in the sixth inning and four more runs in the seventh inning closed the ODU lead to 9-8 as the game shifted to the final two innings. 

With a one run lead, Ohio Dominican broke the game open in the top of the ninth inning with five runs coming home. The Panthers loaded the bases with one out on a Jacob Adams (Troy, Ohio) single, a Jelenic single and Daniels hit by pitch. After a pitching change, Marshall cleared the bases with a three-run double to right field. Tammaro and Dean kept the train moving with a RBI single and RBI double, respectively. 

Wheeling could not get back into it after ODU pushed the lead to 14-9. 

The Panthers totaled 17 hits for a season-high and tied the top mark for runs scored. Daniels and Marshall each had three hits in the game but Daniels ended up reaching base four times. Daniels swiped three bases and scored four runs. Marshall drove in four runs on the day. Tammaro, Dean, Hunt and Jelenic all had two hits. Ohio Dominican stole eight bases as a team. 

Jared Hoersten (Oregon, Ohio) pitched five innings with three runs allowed as the starter. He earned his first win with two walks and five strikeouts in his outing. Chris Bartholomew (Centerville, Ohio) appeared in his first game as a Panther and the first game since April 26, 2022 out of the bullpen. He surrendered four runs in 1.1 innings of relief work. After Adams gave up a run in the seventh, Andrew Deyhle (Cincinnati, Ohio), Chance Woods (Columbus, Ohio) and Derek Bolander (Oregon, Ohio) combined for two and two thirds innings of scoreless relief work. 

Ohio Dominican will host Coker for a three-game series on Saturday (March 23) and Sunday (March 24) in Panther Valley. The Panthers and the Cobras will play two on Saturday and one game on Sunday morning.