Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Cardinal softball squad split a pair of games at Wittenberg on Tuesday, falling 2-1 on a walk-off hit in game one before rebounding with a 3-0 win in game two.

Otterbein (12-3 overall) have a quick turnaround as part of its six games this week with a trip to Ohio Wesleyan for a twin bill on Thursday. First pitch of game one is set for 3:30 p.m. in Delaware, Ohio.

Game One

The first game was a classic pitcher's duel, as the Cards' starter Rachael Owens and the Tigers' starter Chelsea Zang both had a no-hitter in tact through four innings.

Otterbein recorded the game's first hit in the top half of the fifth inning on a leadoff single to right field off the bat of shortstop Alyson Shaw who came around to score two batters later as pinch-hitter Maria Reed reached base on an error.

Owens bested Zang's hitless streak by holding Wittenberg to no hits in the fifth inning as well, before the Tigers tallied a pair of singles in their half of the sixth.

The Cardinals entered the bottom of the seventh inning with a 1-0 lead at hand but that proved to not be enough as the Tigers posted two-straight hits to begin the frame, followed by an intentional walk to load the bases.

Wittenberg's Briana Gibson then came through with a walk-off, two-run pinch-hit double to left field for a come-from-behind victory. The loss moved Owens' record to 5-2 on the season, as both of her defeats have come by a combined five runs.

Game Two

Pitching dominated the storyline once again, but this time in favor of the Cardinals as starting pitcher Gabby Johnson tossed her second complete game of the season.

Johnson allowed just one multi-hit inning in the game, allowing just four hits over seven strong innings while fanning eight batters to boost her record to 4-0 on the year.

Wittenberg's offense was stymied through the first three innings as it planted just two base runners, while Otterbein amounted four hits but failed to push any runs across.

The Cardinal offense came alive though to begin the fifth inning, as four batters reached base on three hits and a walk led by third baseman Savannah Sarkine's one-out double.

Second baseman Maddie Flasco tapped an infield single two batters later to push Sarkine to third, before left fielder Bailey McElwain lifted a two-run double to left field to put the Cards ahead 2-0.

Shaw led off the sixth inning with a solo home run, just the second of her career, adding an insurance run to the Cardinal lead.

Johnson walked a pair of Tiger batters in the last of the seventh, but exited unscathed for her first shutout of the season. Shaw and Flasco each finished the game with two hits apiece, while the Cards totaled four doubles in the game.