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FORT MYERS, FLA. – The Otterbein University baseball team recently began its annual spring break trip in solid form, opening with five-straight wins to improve to 7-1 on the young season.

The Cardinals opened the trip with a suffocating performance against Defiance College on Thursday, posting an 8-1 victory thanks to sophomore right-hander Adam Collier's eight strong innings on the mound.

Otterbein held a 2-1 lead after six innings of play, and doubled the margin after an RBI-single from Billy Harkenrider that brought home Sean Kettering. Otterbein blew the game open in the top of the ninth, plating five runs to put the game out of reach.

Collier turned in a solid effort for his first win of the season, allowing just four hits and no earned runs over the eight innings. Kettering reached base in all five of his plate appearances, hitting safely three times and walking the other two.

Sophomore Mark Walton and freshman David Lemley contributed nicely offensively, each posting 3-for-5 hitting performances.

Otterbein kept right on moving into Friday's doubleheader against Hiram College, opening an 8-1 advantage in the first game before eventually preserving the 8-4 win.

The Cardinals received another quality pitching performance, this time seeing junior Taylor Ellis allow just two earned runs and strike out five batters over 6.1 innings on the bump. Five Cardinals registered a multi-hit game, led by Lemley's perfect 3-for-3 showing and sophomore Tyler Kent's three RBI.

The Cards used fourth-inning RBI from Christian Chiero and Thomas Linder to jump ahead in game two, only to see the Terriers claw back and gain a 3-2 advantage by the middle of the fifth.

Otterbein would eventually regain control, taking advantage of a few Hiram miscues in the bottom of the sixth and scoring four times. Reliever Terrell Dorsey would take it from there, earning the victory after tossing the final 2.1 innings.

Freshman Robert Kemer gave another good start for the Otterbein pitching rotation, striking out seven batters and walking just two in 4.2 innings. Chiero led the offensive unit, going 2 for 2 with a pair of RBI.

Otterbein secured a 9-5 triumph over McDaniel College (Md.) to start Saturday's action, posting four runs in the first inning before allowing the Green Terror to draw even by the end of the second.

The Cardinals regrouped from that point, manufacturing two runs in the third and another three in the fourth to pull away. Four Cardinals tallied at least two hits, led by first baseman Nich Pitzer's perfect 3 for 3 performance.

Game two would be all Otterbein, rallying behind an initial two-run homer from Kettering en route to eight runs in the first two frames. McDaniel made a late push with five runs in its last at-bat, but the Cardinal lead was ultimately too much as the Cards prevailed, 10-6.

Sophomore right-hander Jordon Mally nearly went the distance on the mound with 6.1 inning pitched, picking up his first-career victory in the process. Kettering, Lemley, Kent Chiero and Walton all tallied multi-hit games in the winning effort.

Otterbein has Sunday off before returning to the diamond Monday for a 10 a.m. single-game contest with Division I University of Iowa.