Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WOOSTER, Ohio – The Otterbein University baseball team got itself back into gear Wednesday afternoon on the road, sweeping a twin bill at No. 5-ranked College of Wooster by scores of 3-1 and 14-6.

The Cardinals, coming off a disappointing pair of losses against Heidelberg this past Sunday, rebounded in high form and improves to 26-12 on the season as a result.

The team will now turn its attention to Muskingum University this coming Friday, where they most likely need to sweep the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) doubleheader in order to make the league's four-team postseason tournament. Otterbein does not hold potential tiebreakers in the case of a split and Heidelberg or John Carroll winning their matchups.

The Cardinals received a pitching gem from sophomore Johnny Putnam in the opener at Wooster, watching the right-hander limit the Fighting Scots (29-8) throughout eight-plus innings and improving to 6-2 on the season.

Otterbein took the lead in the third inning on a two-run homer from right fielder Pat Birrer, and then added an insurance run in the sixth when catcher Stephan Hernon brought home Birrer with an RBI single.

Putnam carried his clean sheet until the final inning, allowing just three hits and no walks until Wooster found its only momentum during the final at-bat. The Scots plated a run and had another two runners in scoring position with one out before the Cards turned to closer Caleb Norton, who promptly retired the next two hitters for his eighth save of the season.

Norton's eighth save sets a new Otterbein single-season record, besting his old mark of seven from last year that had him tied with Doug Bringman (2002).

Putnam struck out six batters and now has a 2.30 E.R.A. this spring, while Birrer and first baseman Christian Chiero both hit 2 for 3 at the dish.

Otterbein held an early 1-0 lead in the rematch before doing damage in the middle innings. The Cards plated four runs in the fourth, headlined by RBI doubles from Birrer and Tyler Thompson, and then posted another four in the sixth which featured a three-run bomb from Hernon. He now leads the OAC by himself with eight home runs this year.

The Cards made sure the outcome was in little doubt with a third four-run inning during the eighth, getting a 2-RBI single from Vince Ruggieri and then an RBI-double from center fielder Tim Snyder.

Freshman Collin Hoffman (4-2) was credited with the victory on the hill, tossing 2.2 scoreless (and hitless) innings of relief after coming on in the fifth for starter Robert Kemer.

Hernon and designated hitter Bryan Stopar both delivered three RBI while shortstop Ben Beachy was also well involved in the offensive action, going 2 for 3 and scoring a career-high five runs.