TIFFIN, Ohio – The first OAC road doubleheader for Otterbein sliced itself right down the middle Saturday afternoon, as the Cardinals overcame a disappointing result in the opener for a rather convincing victory in the rematch at Peaceful Valley.

Heidelberg claimed the initial contest 7-5 before Otterbein stormed back to emerge 13-8 in the second go-around. The Cardinals have now reached the midpoint of their 40-game regular season, standing with a 14-6 overall mark and 3-1 within Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play.

GAME 1 RECAP:

Senior left-hander Nicky Zorne, pitching on three days rest, encountered some early trouble as the Student Princes crossed four in their second at-bat. The Berg' launched back-to-back home runs and never trailed again, spearheaded by ace Ross Thompson on the mound. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth and nearly went the distance, ultimately tossing 8.2 innings.

Otterbein's big bats did their best to shrink the deficit, getting one back in the sixth and seventh before striking the best rally in the ninth. Singles from Luke Barber and Noah Sprowls slowly began some momentum, and a 2-RBI double (with two outs) from Zach Franz got the Cards to within 7-5.

However, Heidelberg would induce a swinging strikeout following a pitching change to escape the jam. Zorne (3-1) absorbed his first loss of the spring while Sprowls and Brayden Carter both had multi-hit games.

Unfortunately, senior Sam Edgell settled 0 for 4 in the game… ending his remarkable hitting streak at 21 games. That settles just five shy of the program record.


GAME 2 RECAP:

An agitated Cardinal lineup began unleashing frustrations early, plating seven runs in the first inning to completely take control. Edgell walked with the bases loaded, Brayden Quincel rocketed a 3-RBI double, Sprowls and Ryan Mitchell also had RBI pokes, while Franz and Ryan Grant executed a double steal.

The Cards built that cushion to 11-2 by the midway point and soon received a solo homer from Edgell in the sixth. Heidelberg struck a decent push late, scoring three in the bottom of the sixth and then another trio in the ninth on a two-out homer from Eric DeVore.

Logan Weber enjoyed a nice bounce-back outing and pitched five strong for the win. Fellow senior Travis Burson went the final three for his third save.
The second game featured a combined 23 hits, including three from both Mitchell and Barber.

Barber now has 209 hits for his career, tying Tory Allen for third all-time in program history and getting within single digits of Ben Beachy's record of 217.
 
ON DECK:

The Cardinals will get back on the Fishbaugh Field diamond come Tuesday afternoon, hosting College of Wooster for another key regional matchup. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.