PHOTO GALLERY

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – It was a day of contrasting games but with the same team unfortunately taking both Sunday afternoon at a cold Fishbaugh Field, where the Cardinals dropped a pair to No. 5-ranked Baldwin Wallace in conference play.

The first game featured a combined 31 hits en route to the Yellow Jackets prevailing 17-9 by the end of a near three-hour contest, while the rematch featured much less offense (in a much shorter window) as BW emerged 3-0 in a game lasting two hours.

As a result, the Cards (7-7) now sit two games outside the four-team cutoff for Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament acceptance in a few weeks. Otterbein, trailing Mount Union and John Carroll at 9-7 before two others at 10-4, will likely need to win its last four to have a chance at qualifying.

GAME ONE RECAP:

• Luke Walter had a potential double-play groundball on the second batter of the game that was mishandled, and BW would string together seven runs (six unearned, five with two outs) afterward in grabbing early momentum
   
• Otterbein settled in and began inching back, getting a three-run homer from Brayden Quincel in the third and then a two-run bomb from Gavin Wolf in the fourth. All of a sudden, the Cards only trailed 9-6 before even reaching the midway point of the contest.
   
• Reliever Luke Perigo induced a pair of early groundouts in the fifth but, unfortunately, a fly ball to the outfield was misjudged and allowed the Yellow Jackets to continue hitting. As the game of baseball often goes, BW would cross three more runs to bust the game back open to 13-6.
   
• The Cardinals received a two-out home run from Noah Sprowls in the ninth, but it wouldn't be nearly enough as BW reliever Garrett Miller (7-0) had sufficient run support.
   
• Multi-hit games were had by a total of 12 players, with Otterbein getting seven of their runs on just three swings.
   
• Both teams also combined to leave 26 runners on base.

GAME TWO RECAP:

• The second affair remained scoreless into the fourth inning as Kaden Swisher (BW) and Jackson Peloquin remained sharp and efficient to begin.
   
• Baldwin Wallace struck first in the fourth with more two-out hitting, as catcher J.T. Mazula (hitting from the eight hole) ripped a 2-RBI single through the left side.
   
• Otterbein stranded two in scoring position in the bottom half, and had just two baserunners the rest of the day in being kept off the board.
   
• The story would be Swisher, making his first start of the season on the BW side after throwing just eight innings of relief prior. He proceeded to toss a complete-game shutout with seven K's.
   
• Sam Sethna contributed yet another superb relief effort for the Cards, chucking 4.2 scoreless innings from the bullpen while surrendering just two hits in the process. He has a team-high 17 appearances on the bump.

MOVING AHEAD:

• The Cards will have the middle of this next week off to battle final exams before getting back to action Saturday with a doubleheader at Muskingum.