Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Otterbein University baseball team kicked off its 2013 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) slate with a doubleheader split at the University of Mount Union Friday afternoon.

The Cardinals suffered an 8-1 loss in game one before bouncing back to earn a 7-3 win in the second affair, moving to 14-3 overall as a result.

Senior Wes Meadows hit safely in both games on the day, extending his current hitting streak to 23 and moving within two games of tying Thomas Linder’s school record.

Meadows carried over a seven-game streak that ended last season and has now recorded a hit in each of his 16 outings this spring. His 23 games currently ranks as the second-longest active streak in the nation.

Otterbein shook off the game one loss and broke a scoreless tie in the third inning of game two, using a two-out, two-RBI single from reigning OAC Hitter of the Week Sean Kettering to get on the scoreboard.

The Raiders plated a run of their own in the next inning, but Otterbein countered with two more runs in the fifth courtesy of a two-run blast from Meadows.

Freshman right-hander Adam Collier worked his way through some trouble in the bottom of the inning, getting Mount’s Zach Carlino to fly out with the bases loaded and preserve the lead.

Otterbein looked to add to the lead after a leadoff triple from Tyler Kent to begin the seventh, but three consecutive outs coupled with a Purple Raider run in the bottom of the inning brought the Cardinal lead to 4-3.

Junior Tyler Rose gave the Cards some breathing room with an RBI-double in the eighth that brought home pinch runner Mike Mackessy, Meadows and Kettering each added an RBI in the ninth to widen the lead even further.

The advantage was enough for senior Dominic Porretta on the mound, who tossed the final 2.2 innings in relief of Collier.

Meadows went a combined 5 for 8 on the day, tallying three RBI and two runs scored. Rose hit 3 for 4 in game two while Kent and Nich Pitzer also had multi-hit games.

Collier improved to 5-1 on the season with the victory while Poretta notched his second save.

The Cardinals are scheduled to play four games to begin next week, starting with a single game at Division I Wright State University Monday evening. Otterbein will then resume OAC play with a twinbill at Heidelberg University Tuesday afternoon before traveling to Ohio Wesleyan University on Wednesday.