PAINESVILLE, OH - The Ohio Dominican Panthers secured their sixth conference sweep of the season with a doubleheader win over the Lake Erie Storm in Painesville. ODU took game one in extra innings, 4–3, before finishing the sweep with an 8–0 run-rule victory in six innings.
Game One (W, 4-3 in extra innings)
Lake Erie jumped ahead early with a two-run home run in the first, but ODU responded gradually. The Panthers got on the board in the third on a wild pitch, then tied it in the fifth when Erica Massey drove in a run with a single. The Storm answered to retake a 3–2 lead, setting up a late push from ODU.
In the seventh, the Panthers rallied with two outs as Kendrick Sterling and Halina Schulte singled, and Massey delivered again with the game-tying RBI. In extras, Reese Loveday tripled to spark the inning before Sterling brought her home with the go-ahead double. Alyvia Lawrentz closed it out, allowing three runs on six hits with seven strikeouts. Massey finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs, while Sterling added three hits and the game-winner.
Game Two (W, 8-0 in six innings)
The Panthers carried their momentum into game two and took control early. Emma Grau was dominant in the circle, tossing a complete-game shutout over six innings, allowing just three hits and striking out four on an efficient 46 pitches.
Offensively, ODU broke the game open in the second inning, scoring four runs on five hits. Addie Triplett started the inning by driving Erica Massey in for a run, while Leea Ibarra added an RBI in her return from injury. Grau also contributed at the plate with a two-RBI single to cap the inning.
The Panthers continued to add on in the third, extending the lead to 6–0 behind another key hit from Massey and a two-RBI effort from Triplett. They sealed the run-rule victory in the sixth with two more runs, highlighted by an RBI bunt from Schulte and a run-scoring groundout from Gianna Solinger.
Massey remained a standout, going 3-for-4 in game two, while Triplett and Grau each recorded two RBIs. ODU finished with nine hits and seven RBIs in the contest.
Next Up
With the sweep, the Ohio Dominican Panthers earned their 24th win of the season and continue to build momentum heading into the postseason. Having already clinched a spot in the conference tournament, they now turn to their final regular-season doubleheaders this weekend, beginning with a matchup against the Malone University Pioneers in Canton at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m, tomorrow.
