| Head Coach George Powell becomes the eighth skipper in OAC history to reach 400 wins. Otterbein athletics photo |
BEREA, Ohio – The Otterbein baseball team picked up an important doubleheader sweep within Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play Tuesday afternoon, sweeping host Baldwin Wallace by scores of 12-4 and 6-4 at Fisher Field.
The Cardinals, improving to 16-5 overall and 2-2 against the OAC, were finally able to travel to Berea after the twinbill had been postponed three days due to inclement weather and cold temperatures.
The game-one victory was a notable one for the Otterbein baseball program, as it made 17th-year head coach George Powell just the eighth coach in conference history to reach the 400-win plateau. He currently stands with a 401-298 record for his career.
"I've had a lot of good players and a lot of good coaches beside me throughout the years," Powell said afterwards. "I'm certainly a product of what's around me and, if you're at a place long enough and try to develop kids the right way, then wins are going to come. We try to give our kids a championship experience and build relationships. Those bonds are what I think about the most during these types of milestones."
Otterbein used a huge second inning to break away in game one, plating eight runs in the frame and forcing BW starter Mark Zimmerman out of the game. The Cards sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning.
Junior right-hander Robert Kemer held strong behind the sizeable run support, going five strong innings before giving way to senior Jordon Mally, who allowed just one run over the final four frames to earn a save.
Kemer improved to 3-0 on the mound this season, allowing three earned runs and striking out four batters on the afternoon. The Yellow Jackets left 13 runners on base in the first contest.
Six different Cardinals tallied multiple hits in the opening affair, including the top-four hitters in the lineup going a solid 9 for 19.
"To me, getting back on track within the conference was the best part of today," Powell added. "We played well in difficult conditions, against a good opponent, and it was exciting for our guys. We felt pretty low after getting swept by Ohio Northern and wish we had that day back, but we don't. So it was about moving on and winning the next games that we can control."
Otterbein once again settled into an early lead as game two began, scoring twice in its first at-bat and then plating another pair of runs in the second inning. The Cards widened the margin to 6-0 by the middle of the fourth inning, but the Yellow Jackets kept things interesting late by closing the gap to 6-3 midway through the eighth.
Otterbein reliever KC Brown got into a small jam during the bottom of the inning, allowing one unearned run before closer Caleb Norton came on to strike out three-straight batters (all swinging). He then quickly sat down Baldwin Wallace 1-2-3 in the ninth to notch his third save of the spring.
Senior centerfielder Tyler Kent had himself a day at the plate, going 4 for 5 in game two and ultimately hitting 6 of 10 on the afternoon as a whole. He ripped four doubles, tallied four RBI and scored three times.
Third baseman Mark Walton was productive in the No. 2 hole, hitting a combined 4 for 9 while scoring four runs and bringing home another three. Sophomore Craig Prince improved to 3-1 on the mound with seven quality innings, allowing three runs (none earned) and just four hits while striking out seven Yellow Jackets.
Otterbein will have a quick turnaround and head back up north Wednesday afternoon, traveling to Case Western Reserve for a 4 p.m. non-conference game.