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Box Score 2
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Cardinal softball team was swept by Transylvania University by scores of 4-3 and 9-4 Thursday afternoon at Hall Field.
Otterbein University falls to 17-15 overall, while the Pioneers are propelled to
The Cards were one out away from a victory in game one, but a pair of 2-out runs scored in the bottom of the eighth to give Transylvania a 4-3 win.
Otterbein took an early 2-0 lead with runs in the first and second inning.
The Pioneers answered with a pair of runs in the third to even the game at 2-2.
Neither team generated any offense in the final four innings, sending the game to the eighth. Transylvania nearly scored the winning run in the seventh, but sophomore Maggie Zych threw out a runner at the plate, preserving the tie game.
The Cardinals managed to take a 3-2 lead when senior Erin Carpenter scored on a wild pitch, putting Otterbein three outs from victory.
However, the Pioneers plated two in the bottom of the inning to take game one, 4-3.
Game two started out well for Otterbein, but a six-run sixth inning by Transylvania was too much to overcome in the Cardinals 9-4 game two loss.
Otterbein opened up the scoring in the second when freshman Kara Barnes drove in a run to put the Cards up 1-0.
Otterbein tacked on two more in the third behind RBIs by Carpenter and junior Rachel Puthoff.
Transylvania rallied in the fourth with three runs to even the score at 3-3.
After neither team scored in the fifth, Otterbein reclaimed the lead on a RBI-triple by senior Brooke Albright to put the Cards up 4-3.
The Pioneers rallied again in the sixth with six runs to take a 9-4 lead into the final frame. The Cardinals went down in order in the seventh, allowing Transylvania to earn the sweep.
Puthoff led the Otterbein lineup with a 4-for-5, one RBI performance at the dish. Carpenter and Albright also chipped in at the plate, with each going 3-for-6 with an RBI apiece.
The Cardinals conclude their 2013 regular season with a trip to crosstown rival Capital University (30-8, 14-2 OAC). While Otterbein is out of the OAC Tournament picture, they can spoil the Crusaders bid to earn the top-seed in the conference tourney. Capital leads John Carroll University by one game entering the final regular season weekend. First pitch for the twin bill is scheduled for 1 p.m.
