WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Senior Day was a sweeping success Monday afternoon at Fishbaugh Field, as the Otterbein baseball squad carried back its momentum from Marietta and grabbed two more victories against a solid Penn State Behrend club.

The Cardinals, returning to campus around midnight after clinching a spot in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament and getting head coach George Powell his 500th career win, got right back on the diamond against the Lions for a pair of seven-inning contests.


Game One (1-0 Win):

The low-scoring, grind-it-out slugfest featured just one scoring play in the second inning on an RBI groundout from Dmitri Collaros. That sequence ended up being the difference as the Cardinal pitchers whole-staffed their way to a combined shutout.

PSU Behrend put pressure on in the sixth frame, getting runners on the corners with nobody out before third baseman Connor Brett came up with a timely double play. He scooped a grounder that bounced up the line, tagging the runner standing off third and then fired over to first base. Cody Goletz ended the frame moments later by inducing a popup in foul territory.

Freshman Travis Engard improved to 4-1 on the win by tossing three shutout innings to begin, while senior Jaryd Murphy notched his second save after striking out the final batter with the winning run aboard. The Cards had just three hits offensively.

 
Game Two (9-0 Win):

The rematch wouldn't be as close, although Otterbein only held a 1-0 lead midway through the fourth before busting the doors open.

Senior Vince Ruggieri began with a solo home run to right field that started a length sequence, which loaded the bases multiple times en route to scoring four times.  Sam Edgell had an RBI-single up the middle before Brett and Will Johnson were both hit by a pitch to bring home runs.

Senior shortstop Ben Beachy had a memorable moment during the fifth inning, roping a double to left field to reach 212 hits for his career. That number ties him with former All-American Wes Meadows (2010-13), and Beachy will have the opportunity to jump into sole possession of first place on the all-time record list later this week.

Ruggieri punctuated his final home game with a bang as well, launching another home run to right field in the sixth inning and capping the scoring at 9-0.

Ethan Doty earned his second pitching win in a week as the starter, going three clean innings as the pitching staff ultimately secured back-to-back shutouts. Senior Jacob Carney threw a frame and then gave way to freshmen Zach Beatty and Travis Burson.

Following the conclusion of game two, the program held a ceremony to recognize Beachy, Brett, Ruggieri, Murphy, Carney and fellow seniors Johnny Putnam, Tim Snyder and student coach James Tennenbaum for their contributions to the program. The senior class had won more than 110 games and been part of three OAC titles.


UP NEXT:

The Cardinals will look for a fourth OAC championship in as many seasons, heading to Baldwin Wallace as the No. 4 seed in the four-team postseason event scheduled to run Thursday to Saturday in Berea. Full preview coming middle of the week and see full tournament page HERE.