Box Score (vs. Austin)
Box Score (vs. Framingham State)
Box Score (vs. McDaniel)
Box Score (vs. Utica)
Box Score (vs. Anderson)
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Otterbein University softball team concluded their trip to the Rebel Games by winning three out of five to wrap up the week. The Cardinals finished with a 7-3 record down in Florida.
Otterbein claimed victories over Austin College, Framingham State University, and Anderson College to finish the week. Meanwhile, Utica College and McDaniel College knocked off the Cardinals.
Otterbein received another strong pitching performance from senior Natalie Zwicker in a 1-0 win over Austin Thursday. Zwicker limited the Kangaroo offense to one hit over seven shutout innings.
Senior outfielder Casey Clarridge scored on a sacrifice fly by junior shortstop Brooke Albright in the fourth to give Zwicker all the run support she needed.
Otterbein broke out the bats for 10 hits in their 7-1 win against Framingham State. Sophomore outfielder Laura Basford led the game off with an inside-the-park home-run down the left field line, and classmate Kelsey Long tossed six shutout innings to lead the Cardinals.
Basford finished the game 4-for-4 with two RBIs and scored three runs in the victory. Long followed Zwicker’s performance with a gem of her own, limiting the Rams to two hits while striking out five over six innings.
The Cardinals played a third game on Thursday and were knocked off by McDaniel, 4-0. The Green Terror pitching staff held Otterbein's batting order in check, limiting the Cards to just thre hits.
Otterbein lost its second game in a row, falling 6-1 to Utica on Friday. The Pioneers tagged the Cardinals for 12 hits in the loss, and limited Otterbein to one run on six hits.
The Cardinals rebounded in their Rebel Games finale, holding on to defeat Anderson 3-2.
Otterbein struck quickly with two runs in the first inning on a triple by junior catcher Erin Carpenter that scored Basford and Clarridge. The Cards tacked on an insurance run in the third when freshman infielder Kayla Woodard connected on a RBI single that extending the lead to 3-0.
Anderson responded with a two-run home-run by Megan Ream in the bottom of the third to narrow the gap to 3-2.
The Ravens were held in check until the seventh. Anderson led off the final frame with a walk and used a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner to second and a wild-pitch to advance to third.
With two outs, Otterbein elected to intentionally walk the next batter, Ream. Following ball-four, Ream allowed herself to get into a run-down between first and second base. With the runner from third headed home, Albright threw a strike to Carpenter who applied the tag to preserve the victory.
Zwicker earned the victory for the Cardinals by limiting Anderson to two runs over five innings. Sophomore Maggie McMahan earned her first save of the season by not allowing a hit in the final two innings of the game.
The Cardinals return to the diamond Thursday, March 22, when they travel to Springfield to take on Wittenberg for a pair of games. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
