Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein softball team picked up wins in both games of a doubleheader against non-conference opponent Ohio Wesleyan on Thursday afternoon out a Rike Field.

The Cardinals (28-8 overall) will now turn their attention to their regular-season finale Saturday at Baldwin Wallace, as a split or sweep of the Yellow Jackets will earn Otterbein its third conference regular-season championship in a row. First pitch of game one is at 1 p.m.

Game One – Won, 8-0 (5inn.)

Junior Gabby Johnson was excellent in the circle for the Cardinals on the way to her first collegiate no hitter, tossing a complete-game with four strikeouts walking just one batter.

Offensively, the Cards made quick work of the Bishops after their starter Madi Drabick had a shutout going through the first two innings. But Otterbein inked the scoreboard first in the last half of the third on five hits, including run-scoring hits from seniors Maddie Flasco and Megan Garner.

Senior Bailey McElwain, who scored one of the three Cardinal runs in the third, also tallied a hit in the frame to tie Molly Riggs and Laura Basford atop the program's all-time hits list (207).

Another two runs in the fourth and a trio in the next inning rapidly increased the Cards' lead, as sophomore Courtney Hackney provided some power to the lineup with a solo home run in the fifth.

Game Two – Won, 4-1

OWU was first on the board in game two after scoring a run in the top half of the third inning behind a pair of base hits.

The Battling Bishops protected their lead through five innings as pitcher Erica Buchanan shut down the Cardinal scoring effort, limiting a few opportunities with runners in scoring position along with one strikeout.

Otterbein did threaten for its first run of the game with one out in last half of the fifth as Shaw and Flasco posted back-to-back base hits with one out, but Buchanan again got out of the jam.

Hackney then delivered a go-ahead home run, her second trip around the bases of the day, this one a two-run shot on top of the Clements Rec Center roof in left center field.

The Cardinals managed to boost their lead to 4-1 that same inning on a pair of RBI-hits from Shaw and Flasco, which scored freshman Katrina Wierzbicki and pinch runner Savannah Sarkine. 

Senior Rachael Owens started and finished the game at pitcher for Otterbein, earning her 11th win of the year to become the program's career wins leader in pitching (47), breaking Angie's Lowe's (2000-03) previous record set 15 years ago.