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Box Score 2
GAMBIER, Ohio – Junior Laura Basford became Otterbein University’s all-time leader in steals as the Cardinal softball team swept Kenyon College with scores of 9-5 and 12-2 in a non-conference doubleheader.
The wins propel Otterbein to a 10-6 record overall, while the Ladies fall to 15-8 this season.
Otterbein fell behind early but rallied to win game one 9-5 behind a three-run fifth inning.
With the score knotted at 3-3, Basford got the inning started with a bunt-single. She then swiped second base to tie the all-time stolen base record of 63, set by
Casey Clarridge last season, and broke the record with a steal of third. Sophomore Maggie Zych promptly knocked her in with a base hit to put Otterbein up 4-3. The Cards tacked on two more to push their lead to 6-3.
Zych was the beneficiary again in the sixth when she singled up the middle to bring in junior Elyse Brigham to put Otterbein up 7-3.
Kenyon chipped away at the Cardinal lead with two in the sixth, but Otterbein got those runs right back in the seventh when junior Kayla Woodward singled in two to put the game out of reach for the Ladies at 9-5.
Three Cardinals finished with three hits. Brigham had a career game at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, Zych finished the game 3-for-4 with two RBI, and Carpenter wrapped up the first game 3-for-4 with a RBI.
Junior Chelsea Burns (2-1) picked up the win on the rubber for Otterbein. She allowed two runs (zero earned) on five hits in four innings of relief.
The Cardinals plated five runs in the first inning of game two and poured on four more in the third to cruise to an easy 12-2 “mercy rule” shortened win.
Otterbein chased the Kenyon starting pitcher after just one out in the first. The Cards had five runs on four hits and were aided by two errors in the opening frame.
The Tan and Cardinal added four in the third inning with three hits and the help of two more Lady errors. Freshman Bryn Allen got the inning rolling with a leadoff double. After junior Brooke Albright was hit with a pitch, junior Rachel Puthoff knocked both runners in with a single to left field. A single by Woodward and a sac fly by Basford plated two more runs to put Otterbein in command, 9-1.
While Kenyon did manage a run in the third, the Cardinals kept the pressure on and scored two more in the fourth and one in the fifth to wrap up the sweep.
Puthoff led Otterbein at the plate in game two, hitting 2-for-3 with four RBI and a stolen base. Carpenter tallied a second 3-for-4 performance to finish the day 6-for-8 with two RBI.
Junior Kelsey Long (6-3) earned the win from the circle. She limited Kenyon to just one hit in three innings of relief and struck out three.
Otterbein is back in action tomorrow, Saturday April 6, for a conference doubleheader with Ohio Northern University. The first pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.
