Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Otterbein University baseball team wrapped up its annual spring-break trip with a 7-3 record afternoon, finishing an 11-day stretch at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational with a hard-fought loss against No. 10-rankd St. John Fisher College.

The Cardinals, ranked No. 24 nationally in last week's D3baseball.com poll, began the weekend action with a doubleheader split against Marymount University (Va.).

Marymount, a 23-17 team last season, took the first game from the Cardinal by a score of 8-5, after using a big fifth inning to propel ahead for good.

The Saints grabbed an early 3-0 lead after a strong first frame, but Otterbein eventually found a stride offensively and plated four runs in the top of the fourth. Connor Brett and Christian Chiero delivered consecutive RBI singles before pinch hitter Pat Birrer rocketed a go-ahead double down the left-field line.

Otterbein widened the lead to 5-3 on a double from Bryan Stoper in the top of the fifth, but Marymount countered with five runs in the bottom of the inning to seize an 8-5 advantage. Cardinal sophomore Tyler Thompson reached base to begin the seventh, and final, inning but the team was not able to make any further push.

Both sides went toe-to-toe again in competitive game two, with Otterbein holding a 2-1 edge midway through the sixth before putting the game away. The Cards brought around four runs in the at-bat, which featured a solo home run from Stopar, a 2-RBI triple from Brock Frentzel and then an RBI groundout from Birrer.

Sophomore Johnny Putnam improved to 2-0 on the mound in the triumph, allowing just one earned run and striking out five Saints over six innings. Closer Caleb Norton put the finishing touches on another fine effort from the pitching staff by tossing a perfect sixth.

Otterbein culminated its stay in the Sunshine State with a much-anticipated showdown against nationally-ranked St. John Fisher, a 39-13 squad last year that made the NCAA Division III World Series.

SJF took a quick lead in the battle of the Cardinals during an unconventional first inning, with the first two batters reaching after getting hit by a pitch and then later coming around to score on a two-out throwing error.

St. John Fisher added a third run on a two-out single in the second inning, capping the scoring for what would morph into an old-fashioned pitcher's duel. Fisher's Jim Dawson managed to keep Otterbein off the scoreboard, allowing just four hits over seven scoreless innings despite just striking out two hitters.

Junior Craig Prince settled in after that first inning, ultimately scattering four hits and striking out five over six frames on the bump. Freshman Collin Hoffman went two scoreless frames after that before Norton kept the deficit at 3-0 by inducing three-straight popups in the ninth.

Catcher Stephan Hernon walked to begin Otterbein's final at-bat, but was later put away on a fielder's choice and then Kevin Berge tallied his second save of the year for SJF.

Frentzel got his season off to a nice start over the 10-game adventure, finishing the trip with a .414 batting average and ripping four extra-base hits. Shortstop Ben Beachy led the team with nine RBI while the pitching staff, going the entire trip without top starter Robert Kemer (injury), currently boasts an impressive 1.89 earned-run average.

Otterbein will be back in action with three home games this coming week, hosting nearby Ohio Wesleyan on Thursday afternoon and a twinbill with Trine come Saturday.