WESTERVILLE, OHIO – After dropping four of five, Otterbein got back on track this past weekend with a sweep at cross-town rival Capital, winning by scores of 5-0 and 17-8 in Bexley Saturday afternoon.

The victories move OC to 11-6 on the season and 3-1 in Ohio Athletic Conference play.

After losses to Rio Grande and Ohio Wesleyan early in the week, the team found themselves in a scoreless tie entering the sixth inning of game one at Capital.

The bats then finally came alive, as senior Josh Coleman would hit a double with the bases loaded to bring in three runs as part of a four-run inning.

The Cards would tack on one more run in the top of the seventh, but it would be more than enough as junior John LaCorte finished off a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits, to improve to 6-0 on the season. He walked just two batters while striking out 12.

LaCorte now has six victories in six appearances this season, four coming in starts. He sits atop the conference in opposing batting average (.168), and his E.R.A of 2.20 ranks him fourth.

“He’s been solid all year, and he deserves everything he gets because he works extremely hard,” said head coach George Powell. “He’s a diligent, self-made guy that has been huge for us.”

“Each program has to have a guy, that if they need to win one game, they can throw out there and be the face of your program,” added Powell. “This year that’s been John LaCorte.”

The second game saw the Cards fall behind 7-5 after three innings, only to score 12 runs over the next three to break open the game and lead 17-7 after six. Capital would get just one run the rest of the way.

Senior John Quimby homered to center field in both the fifth and sixth innings, raising his season total to nine through 17 games.

Senior Brian Hiscox, who holds the Cardinal single-season home-run record of 18, launched a three-run blast in the first inning to reach 40 for his career. He is three shy of moving into second-place on the OAC all-time home run list.

Quimby and Hiscox combined for eight RBI’s and eight runs scored on the day, while junior Clayton Clever hit his first career home run as part of a 4-for-7 day at the plate.

“It’s always good to sweep your rival in a doubleheader,” Powell explained. “It felt good to get back on track a little bit.”

Getting back on track will be important for a team looking to win 20 games for the tenth season in a row.

“We had to rest some guys because they were banged up, but the reality of it is that we didn’t play very well,” Powell said of the team’s recent struggles. “Regardless of who we play, we still have to perform at a certain level. With that said, some of those things should help us down the road in terms of depth and experience.”

Needless to say, both the players and coaches will be excited to return home for a small stretch after playing 11 of its first 17 games on the road.

“Being on the road for a long stretch can wear on you after a while, especially when it takes you away from school and class,” said Powell. “Coming back home obviously allows us to feel more comfortable, but the biggest aspect is that they won’t be missing classes. All of the guys want to be out on the field, but they also want to excel in the class room.”

Fisbaugh Field will see plenty of action this week, as the team plays host to conference foe Wilmington in doubleheader action Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a rematch with Rio Grande Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Thursday the Cards will square off against Wittenberg, and the team will conclude the week by hosting Mount Union in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m on Saturday.