MARIETTA, Ohio – Entering Sunday, the No. 1-ranked Marietta College baseball team had lost just three games all season. But Otterbein beat the Pioneers twice (in a span of seven hours) at Don Schaly Stadium on Mother's Day, winning the opener 7-3 before a stunning 11-8 victory in the second affair.
The Cardinals, who will be the second seed in the upcoming Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament, never trailed in the first contest before stunning the hosts with a raucous ninth-inning rally in the rematch. Otterbein (27-12, 14-4 OAC) settles one game shy of Marietta (35-5, 15-3 OAC) in the regular-season standings.
Otterbein will face No. 3 seed Baldwin Wallace to launch the upcoming OAC Tournament on Thursday while host Marietta squares up with fourth-seeded Mount Union. Full preview to be posted in the coming days!
GAME ONE RECAP (W 7-3):
Brayden Carter and Ryan Mitchell led off the game with back-to-back doubles, plating one run on the exchange and then getting a second on an RBI groundout by Sam Edgell.
Senior Travis Engard delivered four shutout innings with his limited performance, staying on a pitch count to make sure he's ready for the postseason later this week. He benefited nicely from a pair of double-play groundouts over his 58 tosses.
The Cardinals added to their lead with multiple runs in the fifth and seventh innings. Hits from Ryan Mitchell, Luke Barber and Jamie Perebzak fueled a strong fifth, where Otterbein loaded the bases with no outs. A deep shot to right-center by Perebzak scored Mitchell before Barber was thrown out at the plate on a close slide. Marietta induced a double-play ball on the next batter to limit the damage.
Logan Weber relieved Engard in the fifth and overcame some initial trouble to only allow one run. Burson took over from there, chucking the last four en route to his fifth save of the season.
Otterbein held a 7-1 lead by the midway point of the ninth, thanks to RBI knocks from Barber in the seventh and ninth sandwiched around an Edgell sac fly. Marietta scored twice in the ninth off Burson, but it wouldn't be nearly enough as the Cards took the opener.
Brayden Carter hit 4 for 4 from the leadoff spot while Mitchell and Barber had three-hit showings. Engard improved to 5-0 on the hill.
GAME TWO RECAP (W 11-8)
Otterbein shocked everyone with five runs in the ninth inning, but here's how we got there…
Both sides traded tallies in the second and Marietta clung to a 3-2 lead entering the midway point of the showdown. The Pioneers expanded their lead in the bottom of the fifth on a three-run homer from Drew Holderbach.
The Cards trailed 6-2 but admirably got to Marietta standout Sam Mathews in the seventh. Otterbein forced the Pioneer star (3-0 record with 12 saves) out of the game, ultimately scoring four times to knot the game highlighted by a mammoth double from Perebzak.
Marietta fired right back in the bottom half with two runs and carried that 8-6 cushion into the ninth. Otterbein made two quick outs before things got wild. Brayden Quincel had an infield single, pinch-hitter Nick Plucinski went opposite field for a single from an 0-2 count, and Zach Franz drew a walk…
Carter was hit by a pitch, bringing the score to 8-7. Mitchell then poked a grounder over to shortstop for what looked to be a game-ending fielder's choice, but the throw was dropped by the second baseman and trickled toward the outfield grass. Plucinski and Franz scored on the mishap and Otterbein was suddenly ahead…
Edgell created even more separation moments later (from a 1-2 count) by poking a 2-RBI single through the left side. Weber tossed a 1-2-3 ninth, somehow finding his sixth win of the season as the Cardinals left the home crowd stunned.
Otterbein played an error-free game defensively while Franz was 3 for 4 from the nine hole.
UP NEXT:
The Cardinals will play their final regular-season game Monday evening at nearby Denison, heading over to Granville and matching up with the No. 20-ranked Big Red. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.