Box Score

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – The Otterbein University baseball team got itself off to the best start in program history Tuesday afternoon, fighting and scraping its way to a 6-5, 11-inning, victory over La Roche College at VA Memorial Stadium.

The Cardinals, improving to 10-1 on the season, tallied their third extra-inning triumph of the spring after being off for the past 10 days. The team will get right back to work Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m., hosting Wittenberg University at Fishbaugh Field for the 2015 home opener. Otterbein received votes in the most recent national rankings.

La Roche, also receiving votes in the latest d3baseball.com national poll, jumped ahead early in the game with one run in the second inning and another in the top of the third. Otterbein shortstop Sean Kettering turned the tide in the bottom half of the inning, launching a grand slam to right field that turned a two-run deficit into a two-run lead.

The Red Hawks (6-3) put runners on the corners with just one out in the sixth inning, but the Cardinals looked as if they may thwart any rally when pitcher Jordon Mally charged in, fielded a bunt and flipped the ball to catcher Mark Walton, who tagged the incoming runner. La Roche answered back on the next play, however, getting a two-out, two-RBI triple from Jon Watson to tie the game at 4-4.

Otterbein had the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the inning, but unfortunately was not able to bring across any runs as the game remained deadlocked.

The Cardinals took a 5-4 lead into the eighth inning after an RBI-double from Kettering, but found themselves in some trouble when the Red Hawks had runners on the corners, this time with no outs, in the top of the frame. Otterbein reliever Caleb Norton found a way to allow just one run before also getting himself out of another jam in the ninth inning.

Otterbein eventually strung together the difference-making sequence in the bottom of the 11th, starting with a leadoff single from Kettering before Ty Compton sacrifice bunted him over to second. Pinch-runner Nick Wiseman tagged to third after a deep fly ball, and Tyler Kent would ultimately play the role of hero by ripping a single in the hole and giving the shortstop virtually no play to make.

Kettering drove in five of Otterbein's six runs on the day for easily his best game of the season. First baseman Jake Simmerman went 2 for 3 while right-hander Terrell Dorsey improved to 2-0 on the mound after pitching a scoreless 11th inning.

Following Wednesday's home opener, Otterbein will host Ohio Wesleyan University at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon before opening Ohio Athletic Conference play Saturday at Marietta College.