WESTERVILLE, Ohio – It felt like postseason baseball Saturday afternoon at Fishbaugh Field as Otterbein continued its winning ways, slipping past Baldwin Wallace to sweep a doubleheader with a pair of narrow one-run victories and clinch at least a share of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) regular-season title.
The Cardinals, jumping to 26-9 on the year and 13-3 within league play, came from behind to take the opener, 11-10, in extra innings before a ninth-inning spurt in game two punctuated the day with a 4-3 triumph. Otterbein has now won 11-straight conference games and 15 of its last 17 overall.
Game 1: (Win 11-10, 10 innings)
The high-scoring affair featured momentum shifts and lead changes back and forth, with Otterbein getting a whopping six home runs from six different players in the contest. Luke Barber, Ben Beachy, Bryan Stopar and Connor Brett all launched home runs during the early innings but it was Baldwin Wallace that found itself up 10-7 miway through the eighth.
The Cardinals would tally another two homers that erupted the home crowd and dugout, the first coming on a two-run blast from designated hitter Pat Birrer that made it a one-run game. Junior Tim Snyder made it back-to-back dingers in the next at-bat by also clearing the right-field fence and knotting the score at 10-10.
Otterbein promptly went to closer Collin Hoffman, the reigning OAC Pitcher of the Week, in the top of the ninth and watched the sophomore righty keep the Yellow Jackets at bay. The Cards left two runners stranded in the bottom of the ninth before breaking through in the bottom of the tenth, which was Otterbein's first extra-inning game of the spring.
Snyder was hit by a pitch and then later advanced to second on a ball in the dirt with two outs. Beachy, a strong candidate for OAC Player of the Year, stepped in and launched a walk-off double to right-center that easily scored his teammate.
Hoffmann earned yet another win in relief, Beachy finished 3 for 6 at the dish and Snyder, Brett and Barber also had multi-hit games.
Game 2: (Win 4-3)
The rematch would not be nearly as high-scoring, but certainly maintained the same level of emotion and intensity as the two sides battled in another tightly-contested showdown.
Otterbein jumped ahead quickly when Stopar rocketed a first-inning homer to left field, and later stood on top at 3-1 following another round tripper from Beachy and a two-out RBI-single from Barber.
Baldwin Wallace (24-11, 9-7 OAC) responded with a moonshot home run from Spencer Badia in the sixth inning to tie the game, and that score remained the same as the later innings progressed where a handful of close calls and important plays kept the crowd energized. Otterbein's Jaryd Murphy entered in the fifth inning and allowed just one hit over a very strong 2.2 innings of relief.
BW had two runners on base in the ninth until Hoffmann induced a popup to escape the frame, setting the stage for another Cardinal rally in the ninth. Second baseman Dmitri Collaros jumpstarted the sequence with a lead-off double down the right-field line, and then sprinted over to third base on a Beachy grounder that marked the first out.
Tyler Thompson registered another game-winning hit for the Cards shortly thereafter, when the Yellow Jackets brought their left fielder in to put five defensive players across the infield. Thompson had a swinging chopper that bounced just out in front of the plate and knocked down by the pitcher, but not before Collaros hustled his way home from third to slide head first and punctuate the sweep.
Barber, Brett and Thompson all had two hits in the game while Hoffmann racked up the victory again. He now stands with a 6-0 record and also four saves this season.
Otterbein is two games clear of second-place Marietta and Ohio Northern as the final week of OAC play approaches. The Cards will host Marietta for a doubleheader next Saturday, where just one victory will secure the conference regular-season crown outright.
Prior to that, Otterbein will gear up by taking on a pair of quality opponents in No. 2-ranked Wooster and No. 17 Franklin (Ind.) for mid-week affairs.