CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – Following their season opening series last week at Indianapolis, Notre Dame College (0-4) traveled down to Ohio Dominican University (2-2) to open up a four-game set this weekend. The two sides played a doubleheader on Saturday, in game one ODU grabbed the victory 7-3.
 
All-American Ben Ross led the game off with a single through the left side, but the Falcons left him stranded after making it around to third base.
 
In the bottom of the third inning, the Panthers broke the stalemate by scoring on a wild pitch, 1-0 ODU.
 
Tyler Shadle, Austin Mora and Shane Mittleman led off the top of the fifth inning with back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases. Ross would tie the game at 1-1 after an RBI sacrifice fly to center field.
 
However, in the bottom half of the inning the Panthers would tag NDC's Kyle Farrell for three more earned runs after a pair of hits, pushing the score to 4-1. Farrell exited after five solid innings, allowing six hits, four earned and punching out four.
 
In the top of the eighth inning, Nick Farrell put a charge into a ball for a home run down the right field line, plating Mendoza and cutting the score to 5-3.
 
During the bottom half of the inning, ODU responded once more with a pair of runs and go on to win 7-3.
 
In game two, Notre Dame (0-5) got behind early to Ohio Dominican (3-2), and despite a valiant fifth inning surge by the Falcons, the Panthers claimed the second contest 7-4 in seven innings.
 
In the bottom of the first inning, a pair of back-to-back Panther singles quickly made the score 3-0. ODU would tack on runs in the third and fourth innings, pushing the advantage to 5-0.
 
However, in the top of the fifth inning the Falcons would wake their bats up and put a crooked number up on the scoreboard. Nate Miller would lead off the inning with a single, followed by a Ben Ross double, positing NDC with two runners in scoring position. Alec Mendoza plated Miller on an RBI single through the right side, 5-1 ODU. Nick Farrell stepped up to the plate next, and tanked a three-run homerun to right center field, plating his team-leading fifth RBI of the day. All of the sudden, Farrell and the Falcons were down just one run (5-4) after the away half of the fifth.
 
Right when NDC had the momentum rolling, ODU snatched it back with a pair of runs during the home half of the fifth, moving the Falcons back into a 7-4 hole.
 
Notre Dame would feature the bases loaded with no outs in the top of the sixth, but the Panthers were able to work out of the jam and hold NDC at bay during the seventh, to hang on to a 7-4 victory.
 
On the day, Mitteman's hot bat paced the Notre Dame offense with a team-high three hits, while Ross, Mendoza, Farrell and Mora each tallied two hits apiece. In addition, the aforementioned Farrell generated a team-high five RBIs and two home runs on the afternoon.
 
Notre Dame College will jump back into action on Sunday Feb. 27 for another doubleheader against Ohio Dominican University. First pitch for game one is slated for 1:00 p.m.