Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – The Otterbein University baseball team picked up a crucial conference sweep over Ohio Northern University Wednesday at Fishbaugh Field, improving to 14-14 overall and 6-6 in Ohio Athletic Conference play.

The Cards earned victories of 11-1 and 14-6, dropping the Polar Bears to 16-14 on the season and 3-9 against league oppoents.

Game one featured a pitcher’s duel early between ONU’s Cody Fisher and Cardinal sophomore David Cydrus, with the Polar Bears holding a 1-0 lead midway through the fifth inning.

The Otterbein bats then got hot, rattling off five runs on five hits in the bottom of the fifth to vault ahead. Sophomore Wes Meadows then blasted a three-run homer in the team’s next at-bat, all part of a six-run six inning to take a 11-1 lead.

The run support would be more than enough for Cydrus, as the Circleville native improved to 5-0 on the season with a complete-game effort, allowing just three hits and one unearned run in the process.

“It was important to bounce back and get a home sweep today,” Cydrus said. “It was great to see our bats get hot and now we just have to sustain this throughout the remainder of the week.”

A few fielding miscues allowed Ohio Northern to post four runs, all unearned, in the second inning of game two, but the Cards managed to cut the deficit in half with a pair of runs in the second frame.

The bats would get hot again by posting seven runs over the next two innings, including a pair of three-run blasts from Meadows and senior Josh Coleman.

Otterbein would keep ONU at a comfortable distance the remainder of the game en route to the victory.
Sophomore Dominic Porretta turned in a steady effort on the mound, allowing just one earned while striking out seven batters in six innings of work.

Meadows and Coleman combined for 12 RBIs on the day, and each crossed the plate four times.

Freshman Thomas Linder also turned in a solid afternoon, going 4 for 8 at the dish with five runs batted in.

“Losing both Sunday at Mount Union was obviously tough, but we’re continuing to learn,” said Head Coach George Powell. “We’re still inexperienced in some areas, but I think the guys are starting to see the results of some of the things we preach. After the fourth inning of game one today we were very good.”

The team travels to Cleveland Thursday for a 4 p.m. game with Case Western Reserve University at Progressive Field. Click here for more information on the event.