Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Cardinal baseball team cruised to a doubleheader sweep in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) action Tuesday afternoon, downing visiting Wilmington College by scores of 11-0 and 17-3 at Fishbaugh Field.

The Cardinals advance to 18-8 overall and 7-5 against the league with the wins and keep pace in a tight race for the upcoming OAC Tournament. Only the top four teams will receive an invitation to the postseason event.

Otterbein used consistent offense throughout the middle innings to break open game one, scoring three runs in the third, fourth and fifth frames before a two-run inning in the sixth. Highlighting the stretch was the first-career home run from senior Ty Compton.

The lead was more than enough for starting pitcher Jordon Mally, who kept his pitch count down and cruised to a complete-game win, making him 2-0 on the year. He currently holds a 1.32 E.R.A this spring.

Six Cardinals tallied multi-hit games, including a 3 for 4 day effort from Compton in which he drove in three runs and scored two more himself. Taylor Hutchison and Jake Simmreman both went 3 for 5 while Sean Kettering, Sam Severance and Mark Walton all hit safely twice.

Wilmington grabbed an early 1-0 lead in game two after a Cardinal throwing error, but Otterbein wasted no time getting going in the bottom of the first. The Cards quickly took advantage of two Wilmington miscues in the field to post seven runs in the first inning, which included a grand slam from catcher catcher Stephan Hernon, who was filling in for Walton.

The Cards would score in each of the next five innings, getting a three-run homer from Peyton Ross in the fourth and RBI singles from Simmerman and Compton in the fifth. Right-hander Nick Muse would glide to his second win of the year on the mound before relievers Justin Lewis and Caleb Norton helped finish the job.

Simmerman went a perfect 5 for 5 at the plate in game two, scoring four times and driving in three himself. He is now batting .437 on the season, good enough to sit atop the entire conference. Compton had another 3 for 4 effort at the dish as well.

Otterbein is scheduled to play a non-conference road game at Denison University Thursday evening before returning to OAC play this coming weekend, traveling to Muskingum University for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.