MASON, Ohio - The #6 seeded Ohio Dominican Panthers (23-28) baseball team showed some resiliency for a Pool A winner's bracket win over the #7 seeded Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers (22-27) on Thursday (May 8) afternoon at Prasco Park.
After trailing in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Black and Gold rallied to shock the #6 seeded Purple Panthers 7-6 on a walk-off RBI single by
Noah Schacht. A furious ninth inning rally sent Prasco Park into a frenzy for the ODU faithful.
Ohio Dominican started in the first inning, putting pressure on Kentucky Wesleyan from the start. Two singles and a hit batter loaded the bases for ODU, bringing
CJ Dean to the plate. Dean hit a RBI single to the right field wall, scoring the first run of the game.
Mason Kurtz followed with a RBI ground-out as seven men came to the plate, giving ODU a 2-0 lead.
Kentucky Wesleyan tied the game in the top of the fourth with a two-run single off ODU starter
Landon Ringhiser.
After two outs, ODU took the lead with some speed.
Jake Scherette and
Jordan Daniels both singled with Scherette getting to third base. Daniels and Scherette completed a double steal with Scherette swiping home and ODU leading 3-2.
The purple Panthers scored in back-to-back innings to take a 4-3 lead at the seventh inning stretch. A big hit for ODU pushed them ahead in the bottom of the seventh. Ohio Dominican put three runners on base on an error, a single and hit by pitch with two outs. Dean drilled a fly ball down the left field line that hooked foul. Dean later doubled two runs home off the left field fence as the lead went back to ODU at 5-4.
Two more KWC runs in the top of the eighth inning flipped the script at 6-5 Kentucky Wesleyan.
ODU worked out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the top of the ninth inning to keep it a one-run game.
Drew Emerson walked with one out in the bottom of the ninth, setting the table for
Gianni Passarelli. Passarelli lined a RBI triple into the right center field gap, tying the game at six.
After two intentional walks to load the bases, Schacht stepped to the plate with one out. Schacht entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the ninth. With the infield playing in, the freshman catcher lined a RBI single past a diving shortstop for the game-winning run.
Passarelli had three hits in the game. Dean drove in three runs with his two hits. Eight different players had hits in the game for the Panthers.
Ringhiser gave up three runs in 5.1 innings before giving way to
Jared Hoersten. Hoersten allowed three runs in two innings of relief.
Andrew Mouch and
Jeremy Ramirez combined for 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.
The Panthers will play the winner of the Ashland/Kentucky Wesleyan elimination game in the Pool A Championship game on Friday at 12:00 PM on Legacy Field.
