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WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Cardinal softball team picked up their first two conference wins of 2013 with a sweep of Wilmington College, 5-3 and 9-3, Tuesday afternoon at the WC Softball Complex.
Otterbein University improves to 2-4 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play, 12-8 overall. The losses drop the Lady Quakers to 16-8 overall, 2-6 in league action.
The Cardinals scored the game’s first five runs and held on late in their 5-3 game one win.
Otterbein jumped out in front in the third when junior Laura Basford tripled to drive in a pair. The next batter, sophomore Maggie Zych, squeezed in Basford on a bunt to give the Cards a 3-0 lead.
Otterbein extended its lead with two runs in the fifth with the help of two Quaker errors, giving the Cards a 5-0 lead through five innings.
Wilmington tried to power its way back into the game with a solo blast in the sixth and a two-run home run in the seventh to pull within two, 5-3.
The Quakers had the tying run at the plate with two outs, but junior Chelsea Burns forced the final batter to ground right back to her, preserving the Cardinal win.
Basford accounted for both of Otterbein’s base hits with a pair of triples and two RBI. The Cardinals were aided by four Wilmington errors in the win.
The Lady Quakers jumped on top early in game two, but Otterbein scored seven runs in the final three innings to secure a 9-3 win in game two of the twin-bill.
Wilmington held a 3-2 lead after four innings, but a three-run fifth inning for the Cardinals put them in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the game.
Otterbein tacked on two more in the sixth and one in the seventh to pick up the sweep over the Quakers.
The Cardinals slugged four extra-base hits in the game, including a home run and a double from freshman Bryn Allen. She finished the second game 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Basford added another triple in game two and finished with two RBI, while Zych was 2-for-4 with two RBI of her own.
Junior Kelsey Long (8-2) earned wins in both games, tossing a combined 9.2 innings and not allowing any runs on five hits with five strikeouts.
The Cardinals are back in action this Thursday afternoon for a non-conference showdown with Wittenberg University. First-pitch of game one is set for 3:30 p.m.
