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FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Otterbein University baseball team concluded its annual spring break outing in Florida Thursday afternoon, finishing the eight-day stretch with a 7-3 record.

The Cardinals, now 8-4 overall, rattled off five-straight wins to begin their stay before a three-game skid in the middle of the trip. Otterbein suffered losses to Division I University of Iowa, No. 15-ranked Birmingham Southern College and SUNY New Paltz before rebounding with victories over Nichols College (Mass.) and Knox College (Ill.).

"We didn't finish well against Iowa and then ran into some good pitching on Tuesday, so it was nice to bounce back from that," head coach George Powell said. "I didn't think we were emotionally invested against Birmingham Southern and New Paltz and ultimately didn't control the game very well. We need guys to make sure they play the right way and work within our system to help the team as a whole."

The upset-minded Cards held an early 1-0 lead over Iowa after four innings before the Hawkeyes used the long ball to build a 7-1 advantage. Otterbein did not go away, plating four runs in the top of the eighth to get back in the game. The Cardinals had the bases loaded with two outs in that inning but unfortunately left all three runners stranded. Iowa would use an offensive outburst in its ensuing at-bat to put the game away.

Freshman David Lemley went 3 for 4 while sophomore hurler Adam Collier went a solid five-plus innings on the mound before running out of juice.

Junior Taylor Ellis started strong on the mound against Birmingham Southern, watching his offense help to post an early 2-0 lead. The Panthers, however, took advantage of three-straight Otterbein errors in the fourth on their way to eight runs over the middle-three innings. Otterbein struck a late rally before eventually falling 8-5.

Second baseman Taylor Hutchison and centerfielder Tyler Kent each hit 3 for 4 in the game.

SUNY New Paltz starter Christian Huertas stifled the potent Cardinal offense in the nightcap, tossing 7 1/3 scoreless innings as the Hawks played to a 7-0 victory. Despite the few losses, Powell knows his group is continuing to mesh as a group and develop an identity.

"It's always interesting to see how things play out on the field during these trips," Powell explained. "I'd say that 70 percent of it usually goes how you want it and the other 30 goes completely against what you expected. "It tests us as a coaching staff and we are continuing to piece it together."

Otterbein's high-powered offense regained its form Wednesday, scoring time and time again in a 17-0 rout of Nichols. Six different Cardinals had multi-hit games, led by perfect 3-for-3 days from Nich Pitzer and Jake Reese, who was a home run away from hitting for the cycle.

Freshman Robert Kemer gave the team a complete-game shutout on the hill, striking out five batters and only walking two for his first collegiate win.

"We have a chance to really excel offensively and put it on teams," Powell said. "We should be solid all the way through the lineup and I expect us to hit good pitching throughout the season. It's challenging to settle on nine guys in our lineup when we probably have 13 or 14 that can really swing it."

Otterbein finished its trip with a 4-3 win over Knox, avenging a disappointing 8-7 loss that forced a split with the Prairie Fire at the end of last year's spring break.

Sophomore Ben Hamilton was strong on the mound in the winning effort, going six innings and allowing just two earned runs. Lemley stayed consistent at the dish with a 2-for-4 effort.

The Cardinals will return home and immediately prepare for the start of Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play, which begins Saturday afternoon with a key home doubleheader against Marietta College at Fishbaugh Field.  Otterbein's coaching staff likes what it has seen from a variety of players deciding the battle at certain positions, including catcher and right field.

"I think Mark Walton has really been a pleasant surprise behind the plate," Powell said. "There are a few guys that all do something well in that spot and we have been waiting to let it play out. He's done a really nice job with his at-bats as well as managing the game defensively. He deserves to start."

"There is also a lot of competitiveness in that right field spot," Powell continued. "J.C. Gibson went down with an injury early in the trip but a few other talented players really stepped in nicely. We will be just fine there."

In addition to Gibson, the Cardinals persevered through injuries to highly-touted transfer Jake Simmerman, first base, and starting left fielder Billy Harkenrider during the week.

"I'm really proud of how we grinded through this entire trip," Powell added. "Our guys responded to some odd scheduling and the various ups and downs. I think they are sticking together and helping improve one another because they all genuinely care about getting better. I hope some guys don't let frustrations of not playing every day get in the way of preparing for when we do need them. These are situations you deal with when you're in a competitive program with high expectations. I'm excited to keep moving forward because we have a chance to be really special."

The Cardinals split four meetings with Marietta last spring, dropping both regular-season matchups before posting a pair of victories that eliminated the Pioneers from the OAC Tournament.