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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein Cardinals and Wooster Fighting Scots exchanged swings in a competitive non-conference matchup Thursday afternoon at Fishbaugh Field, with the visitors narrowly hanging on down the stretch for a 10-8 decision.

Both sides jockeyed for runs early. Wooster took a brief 1-0 lead on a solo homer but Otterbein countered with a pair of runs in the second.

The Scots (12-7) jumped back ahead in the third before Otterbein found a little groove in the fifth, securing back-to-back RBI hits from Luke Barber and Jamie Perebzak through the left side. That mini rally gave Otterbein a 5-4 lead.

Wooster got to Otterbein's bullpen in the seventh, initially tying the game before a crushing three-run homer with two outs (from Jack Henderson) regained all momentum to the visitor dugout.
The Fighting Scots plated two insurance runs in the eighth, and Otterbein would later face a five-run deficit entering its final at-bat of the day.

The Cardinals had two quick outs but, with no clock in this sport and no quit on the home side, the plot thickened. Brayden Carter started a two-out rally with a rocket double to left field. After Ryan Mitchell legged out an infield single (5-6 hole) to shortstop, Barber catapulted a three-run blast into the tennis court beyond left field…

Down 10-8, Nick Plucinski (entering as a pinch hitter in the previous inning) kept the push alive with a hard-hit single to left-center. Sam Edgell singled to the exact same spot, but a nice piece of contact by Noah Sprowls on the next sequence was corralled by the centerfielder.

Free bases would be a major difference in the game as Wooster drew nine walks and was hit another three times. Henderson and Tyler Chumita both had three RBI.

Mitchell, Barber, Edgell and Carter all had multi-hit games as Otterbein held a 14-8 edge in the offensive category. Barber now ties Wes Meadows for second on the program's career hit list at 212.

Hunter Passwaters pitched a clean ninth inning for Otterbein, which remains at home for a weekend doubleheader with Mount Union come Sunday afternoon.