Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein softball team captured both games of a doubleheader against Wittenberg at home Thursday afternoon out at Rike Field.

The Cardinals, now 10-4 on the year, have now won eight-straight games and will look to extend their winning streak on Saturday as Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play will open against Mount Union at home. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.

Game One – Won, 7-0

Junior Gabby Johnson was in full command once again as she shut down the Tiger offense, allowing just two hits while striking out a career-best 14 batters to improve to 5-0 on the year.

Johnson, the reigning OAC 'Pitcher of the Year,' recorded two or more strikeouts in each of the first four innings of play, this coming after allowing a leadoff single to the game's first hitter.

Senior Megan Garner got the Cardinals on the scoreboard first with a run-scoring single up the middle, which scored junior Alyson Shaw who reached on a leadoff walk and then stole second base.

The Cards then registered three hits in the second inning as part of two-run frame, which included back-to-back two-out hits from freshman Kristen Zink and Shaw, both adding to the team's lead.

Shaw then delivered a three-run home run over the center field fence to inflate the Cards' lead to 6-0 in the fourth inning, before senior Savannah Sarkine made it 7-0 the following inning with an RBI-groundout.

Game Two – Won, 4-2

Otterbein jumped out to an early lead over Wittenberg once again as a pair of first-inning hits included a RBI-single to left field off the bat of Garner, who made it two-straight games driving in the initial run.

Sophomore Courtney Hackney then boosted the Cardinal lead to 2-0 the following frame with a solo home run to right field, her first of the season.

It was Wittenberg which then stormed back with consecutive solo home runs with one out in the third inning, as Elise Freeland and Abby Curnutte tied the game on shots to right and center field, respectively.

Owens, who started the game for the Cards, was then moved to right field and junior Anna Edwards came on in relief. Edwards proceeded to throw the final four and two-thirds innings, surrendering no runs and just two hits with four strikeouts.

But it was Hackney again who gave the Otterbein offense a lift, hitting her second home run of the game on a solo blast to left center to put the Cards back in front, 3-2.

The score remained the same until the last half of the sixth inning when senior Maria Reed stepped up to the plate and posted a run-scoring single into right field, pushing freshman Katrina Wierzbicki across the plate for an insurance run.

Edwards sent the Tigers down in order in the top half of the last inning to secure her third win of the year in relief and lower her earned-run average to a team-best 1.56.