Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ADA, Ohio – The Otterbein Cardinals finished a busy weekend with a doubleheader split Sunday afternoon at No. 25-ranked Ohio Northern University, winning 10-3 before suffering a 7-5 loss in the second go-around. Inclement weather had forced the games to be rescheduled from earlier in the week.

Otterbein, now 16-8 on the season and 5-5 within an extremely competitive Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), jumped ahead 2-0 in game one after a home run from shortstop Sean Kettering. The Cards later held a 3-1 lead entering the fifth frame, but extended the margin with a sac fly from Taylor Hutchison before Kettering launched a solo shot over the left-field fence in the sixth.

 

Otterbein blew the game open for good in the eighth inning, plating four runs and never looking back en route to the win. Freshman left-hander Stevie Yuran was solid on the mound in relief, going seven strong inning after taking over for starter Robert Kemer, who was forced to exit early after sustaining an injury. Yuran allowed just three runs and improved to 4-0 on the mound.

"Stevie is a polished freshman pitcher," head coach George Powell said. "He has shown that all year when we have put him in tough spots. He played at a competitive high school and has been ready for this type of baseball.  I thought had some good matchups with Ohio Northern's left-handed batters, but we still expect him to perform like that. It's always nice to see it play out."

Kettering finished 3 for 5 with three RBI and three runs scores offensively, while Hutchison went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a pair of runs. Ohio Northern starting pitcher Nick Eltzroth (6-1) suffered his first loss of the year for the opposition.

Ohio Northern (20-5, 7-3 OAC) stood on top with a 3-1 lead midway through game two, but Otterbein centerfielder Tyler Kent cut the deficit in half with a solo home run to left field in the sixth inning. The Cards jumped ahead in the next frame, using a 2-RBI single up the middle from Hutchison as part of a three-run inning to seize a 5-3 advantage.

The Polar Bears answered in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of a pair of Cardinal miscues in the field to eventually bring home three unearned runs, good enough for a 6-5 lead.

ONU pushed the margin to 7-5 with an insurance run, but Otterbein wouldn't go quietly after third baseman Nich Pitzer led off the team's final at-bat with a single through the left side. A Hutchison single followed to put runners on first and second, with no outs, and the Cards eventually had to settle for runners on second and third, with two outs, before the inning late push unfortunately came up short.

"You get punished in this league when you don't do the little things the right way," Powell explained afterwards. "The loss in the second game today stung because we felt like it was right there for us to take, but we had a few mistakes and weren't able to finish. We just ndured a tough stretch of games and are ready to keep moving forward. We need to step on the gas pedal a bit because nothing will be handed to you in this conference."

Hutchison, catcher Mark Walton and designated hitter Ty Compton all tallied multi-hit games in the second contest. Starting pitcher Taylor Ellis allowed just three hits and three runs over his six innings of work before settling for the no-decision.

Otterbein will be back in action Tuesday afternoon, hosting Wilmington College at Fishbaugh Field for a 1 p.m. start.