ADA, Ohio – The Otterbein baseball team was dealt a tough blow within the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) standings Tuesday afternoon on the road, enduring a doubleheader sweep at the hands of host Ohio Northern on Wander Field.

The Cardinals, now 16-13 overall and 7-5 within OAC play, are scheduled to host John Carroll in another pair of league games later this week as the standings remain bunched. Games are slated for Friday afternoon, although weather could alter the time and/or day.


Game 1: (7-4 Loss)

Otterbein grabbed an early lead for freshman pitcher Travis Engard in the opener, scoring three times in the first inning on a 2-RBI double from Connor Brett and then an RBI-single from senior classmate Tim Snyder.

Engard tossed 92 pitches across five innings in another solid start, exiting with a 4-2 lead as the Cardinal bullpen took over in the sixth. Ohio Northern rallied to score in each of the next three innings, getting one back in the sixth before two in both the seventh and eighth.

Otterbein was retired in order across its last six outs as the Polar Bears claimed the opener. Engard took a no-decision while senior Tyler Thompson hit 2 for 3 in the contest.
 

Game 2: (8-3 Loss)

Ohio Northern held a 3-2 lead after a few innings of the rematch, with Otterbein getting a solo home run from Brett in the second and then an RBI-single from freshman Sam Edgell in the third.

The Polar Bears (15-13, 6-6 OAC) created some breathing room from there by loading the bases with no outs in the fifth, forcing an Otterbein pitching change and then ultimately bringing around four runs.

The Cards tallied one back in the next frame on a sac-fly from Adam Stotler, but that was it as ONU held the lead down the stretch. Edgell had two hits in the game while Brett's round-tripper extended his hitting streak to 15 games.