FINAL RESULTS

BEREA, Ohio – The youthful Otterbein wrestling team tested its fate against one of the nation's best Tuesday night on the road, dropping a 29-7 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) dual at No. 6-ranked Baldwin Wallace.

The Yellow Jackets, 16-2 overall this year and now 3-0 in the league, claim their 16th-straight victory within OAC action and remain in search of a third-consecutive conference title. BW currently has eight nationally-ranked competitors in the latest d3wrestle.com lists.

Otterbein, falling to 6-4 straight up and 1-3 against the OAC, got off to a nice start with a notable victory in the 125-pound showdown. Cardinal sophomore Jackson Lakso,who recently broke into the national rankings at 25th, easily handled No. 8 Chris Doyle for a 16-7 major decision. He is now 17-4 on the year with a team-high seven majors.

Santino DiSabato unfortunately lost a competitive 11-7 decision against BW's Dante Ginetti in the ensuing 133-pound bout. Ginetti improved to 21-2 this year after hanging on down the stretch.

The host Yellow Jackets took control with a pin and two decisions over the next three matches, leading to an anticipated 165-pound affair with Otterbein's Willy Plaisir, who entered 17-3 and ranked No. 24 nationally, pitted against Baldwin Wallace standout Anthony Arroyo, who entered 19-1 and ranked No. 4 in the country.

Arroyo ultimately prevailed with a narrow and very entertaining 14-12 decision in a match consisting of multiple takedowns, reversals and both wrestlers escaping from short moments of trouble. Plaisir fought his way back from a 14-6 deficit before coming up just short.

BW later clinched the match in the next couple weight classes before Otterbein tallied its remaining points thanks to 197-pounder Drew Kasper, ranked ninth in the nation. He defeated No. 15 Tyler Maclellan by 12-5 decision, improving to 16-2 overall and 4-0 against the league.

Heavyweight Nate Temple concluded the action with a slim 2-0 loss that went down to the wire, as BW's Gabriel Mahaney (ranked 14th) held a 1-0 lead and then attracted an extra point due to riding time.

Otterbein will finish out the week at Wheaton College's always competitive Pete Willson Invitational in Illinois, an event the Cards finished 13th out of 34 in last year.