Written May 12, 2007 by Jason Miller
TIFFIN, OHIO--The Otterbein Cardinals claimed their third-consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament championship and earned the automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament after taking a pair from Capital, 11-9, and, 12-4, Saturday in Tiffin.
In the first game, the Cards entered the bottom of the fifth down 5-4. Center fielder Pat Connor, a junior from Columbus (Bishop Watterson High School), hit a three-RBI triple to right field to give Otterbein a 7-5 lead, which they would not relinquish. Otterbein added one more in the fifth and two in the sixth to increase its lead to 10-5. The Crusaders plated three runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to cut the Cardinal lead to one, 10-9. Otterbein added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth to secure the win and force a second championship game.
Otterbein dominated the second game, pounding out 19 hits and scoring in every inning except the first, en route to the 12-4 victory.
On the day, Connor went 5 for 7 with a triple, six RBIs, three runs and two stolen bases, while right fielder Aaron Hutchison went 6 for 9 with a double, five runs and two RBIs. Shortstop Ben Titus, a junior from Bowling Green, and second baseman Tyler Rudman, a sophomore from Columbus (Bishop Ready), each went 5 for 10 with a double. Rudman logged in three RBIs and two stolen bases and Titus had two RBIs and two runs.
On the mound, right-handed pitcher/first baseman Bobby Wright, a senior from Grove City (Westland), and right-handed pitcher Jeremy Williams, a sophomore from Grove City, each earned wins. Wright tossed six innings in the first game, scattering five hits and striking out three, while Williams went eight innings in game two, giving up eight hits and striking out five. In addition, Wright hit his 18th double of the year, setting a new Otterbein single-season record.
Connor, Rudman, Wright, Hutchison and right-handed pitcher Dan Remenowsky, a junior from Cincinnati (Moeller), were named to the 2007 OAC All-Tournament team. Hutchison, who tallied 13 hits over the five games, was named the Dick Fishbaugh Tournament MVP.
