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FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Otterbein University baseball team just missed going perfect during its 2015 Florida trip, posting a 9-1 overall record at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic during spring break.

The Cardinals began the second half of their trip with a nice 7-3 win over Widener University Thursday morning, taking a 3-0 lead in the second inning after a two-out, bases-clearing double from leftfielder Brock Frentzel.

Widener looked as if they may answer in the bottom of the third, but Frenztel came up with another key play by throwing out a runner at the plate to end the inning.

Otterbein pushed the lead to 6-0 in the fifth, but the Pride finally got on the scoreboard with three runs over the next two innings to remain within striking distance. The Cardinal bullpen helped get the job done, with Terrell Dorsey and Caleb Norton keeping Widener at bay to help starter Robert Kemer get his first win of the season.

Kemer allowed just three runs and struck out six batters over his six innings of work on the bump, giving him two solid outings on the trip. Freshman Mitch Stotler, starting at shortstop in place of an injured Sean Kettering, had a nice day with a 2 for 5 performance and RBI at the dish.

Otterbein jumped all over Baruch College (N.Y.) on Friday, using 11 runs in the third inning to break the game open and never look back. Highlighting the inning was a grand slam off the bat of designated hitter Jordan Ashbrook as the Cards ultimately batted for nearly 50 minutes.

Nick Muse earned the win as the starter during the 23-3 rout, going five strong innings before giving way to his relief pitchers. Thirteen different players recorded a hit in the game, led by three hits from both Kettering and Tyler Kent. Sophomore Peyton Ross launched his first-career home run in the fourth inning, a three-run shot to left field.

Otterbein, holding an 8-0 record heading into Saturday's twinbill against Eastern Nazarene College (Mass.), took one step closer to perfection on the trip with a 14-6 victory over the Lions in game one.

The Cardinals used strong offense in the middle innings to break the game open, crossing two runs in the third, five runs in the fourth and another four in the following inning. Included in the stretch was a pair of towering home runs from cleanup hitter Jake Simmerman, who now has four on the season.

Sophomore Ross Wilson grabbed the win on the mound, going five innings for his first win of the season.

Otterbein fell just shy of the first undefeated spring-break trip in program history to end the day, stalling offensively and suffering a disappointing 4-0 loss in game two. Freshman Craig Prince settled in and pitched well after allowing two runs in the first inning, but the Cardinal offense ended up leaving 12 runners on base after earning nine walks throughout.

Nazarene starter Brent Houle, a freshman making his collegiate debut, found a way to maneuver around the potent Cardinal offense to toss six scoreless innings. He walked Simmerman three times, two of them coming as intentional. Catcher Mark Walton went 2 for 3 in the game and finished the trip with a team-best .526 batting average.

Otterbein is scheduled to play at OU-Lancaster during the middle of next week before heading to compete at the Rose-Hulman Invitational March 14-15.