FORT MYERS, Fla. – Saturday presented a challenging loss that was difficult to swallow, but the Otterbein baseball team bounced back nicely on Sunday to culminate its spring trip on the right note.

A disappointing setback to Hiram began the final stretch, before the Cardinals responded with an impressive 7-2 triumph over U.S. Merchant Marine across the lunchtime window at Terry Park on Sunday Fun-day.

Otterbein ends the Florida trip with a 6-3 record, moving to 7-4 on the season as a whole after splitting two just prior. More weekend details below:

HIRAM RECAP (L 6-2):
The final matchup at Player Development Complex presented all kinds of adversity, beginning when starting pitcher Travis Engard sustained an injury on his second batter of the day. Jackson Peloquin entered quickly and provided an admirable long-relief effort…

Both teams (outfielders) were forced to adjust in a game that featured high winds blowing in. The Cards led 2-1 midway through thanks to a pair of sac-fly RBI's from Luke Barber.

Hiram struck a rally in the sixth as nasty wind dropped some bloop singles down the right-field line. The Terries plated four in the sequence (two with two outs) and seized a 5-2 advantage.

Otterbein ripped some hard-hit balls to left field (notably Barber and Brayden Quincel), but essentially to no avail each time as mother nature kept it in the park. The Cards had two runners on base in the sixth and eighth… but All-NCAC reliever Jacob Kocuba helped keep the scoreboard where it was.

MERCHANT MARINE RECAP (W 7-2):
A pitching duel began playing out with Logan Weber and USMMMA ace Tyler Reistetter, with a 0-0 game carrying into the middle innings.

The Mariners ultimately went ahead 1-0 until the Cards responded with a trio in the top of the fifth. A double from Quincel brough Sam Edgell (newfound speed) all the way around from first, and then RBI pokes from Ryan Grant and Ryan Mitchell followed.

Merchant Marine, two games shy of the World Series last season, got one back in the bottom half but that would be all. Noah Sprowls smoked an RBI-single in the sixth and Otterbein added three insurance runs in the ninth.

The Cardinals were filthy on the mound in securing the final 12 outs. Weber (2-0) went six strong, finishing with a massive double-play groundout to escape a bases-loaded jam. A pair of left-handers took over from there as Alex Hook tossed a scoreless seventh and Hunter Passwaters was lights out over the eighth and ninth.

Passwaters worked quickly and fanned three batters for his first save of the season. Four different Otterbein pitchers have recorded a save now this spring.

Brayden Carer hit a whopping .457 for the trip while Edgell finished with a solid .375 average. Both will carry 11-game hitting streaks back home.

UP NEXT:
The Cardinals will travel back to Ohio but then gear up for another out-of-state trip, with a three-game set down in Kentucky on the schedule next weekend. Otterbein will play Transylvania twice with a contest vs. Chicago sandwiched between.