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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Despite learning Friday afternoon that it was unfortunately eliminated from postseason contention, a gritty and admirable Otterbein baseball team stayed focused to earn a doubleheader sweep against Wilmington across a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Fishbaugh Field.

The Cardinals, winning a pair of very competitive games by scores of 8-6 and 4-1, move to 27-12 overall and 11-7 within the Ohio Athletic Conference. Otterbein lands in a tie with John Carroll at fourth place in the league standings, but misses out on the last tournament spot due to tiebreaker scenarios.

GAME ONE RECAP (W 8-6):

• The opener featured a few momentum swings, beginning in the first as OAC home-run leader Brayden Quincel cemented himself atop the books this year with a solo shot down the left-field line. It marked his league-best 13th round tripper this spring.
   
• Otterbein manufactured two more runs on consecutive sac flies from Zach Franz and Logan Ullom in the second, but the Quakers came storming back to grab a 6-3 lead in the middle innings…
   
• Wilmington got on the board thanks to an RBI-single up the gut, later tied the game after a fielding error, and catapulted into a 6-3 lead after shortstop Evan Eilerman launched a three-run blast to right field.
   
• The Cards quickly responded with plenty of at-bats left, tying the game in the bottom portion of the fifth behind multiple contributors. Noah Sprowls started the climb back with an RBI poke, followed by Jamie Perebzak moving the ball for a sacrifice and Gavin Wolf registering a game-tying single to right field.
   
• A new 6-6 ball game was in store as both starting pitchers took no-decisions, but Otterbein would ultimately get to the Quaker bullpen and move ahead for good. Sprowls was hit by a pitch, Quincel stayed hot and Perebzak eventually ripped a 2-RBI double into the alley.
   
• Sam Sethna was lights out in relief once again, chucking 3.2 scoreless innings to earn another W and stand with a 7-0 record in his inaugural season. Classmate Andrew Nemec pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.
   
• Quincel hit a perfect 4 for 4 in the game while three others had multi-hit affairs.

GAME TWO RECAP:

• The late-afternoon session featured a pitching duel between Jackson Peloquin and Wilmington ace Aaron Boster, coming off a stellar 19-strikeout game against John Carroll that warranted OAC Pitcher of the Week honors.
   
• Neither team scored through four innings until the Quakers finally cracked through, taking advantage of a leadoff single and then a balk to ultimately manufacture a sac fly.
   
• Otterbein tallied its first hit off Boster in the fifth, by way of a leadoff double from Wolf that snuck over the head of the right fielder. Unfortunately, the next three Cardinals would be retired to keep a goose egg on the board.
   
• The Cards finally manufactured a run in the sixth via small ball, with Ryan Grant dropping a bunt single and getting moved over by another bunt from Brayden Carter. Sprowls promptly smacked a game-tying hit up the gut.
   
• Reliever Braydon McCloskey (singing a perfect national anthem to start the day) stranded a Wilmington runner on third to reach the seventh-inning stretch, and Otterbein would piece together its difference-making sequence in the bottom half…
   
• Wolf drew a walk, followed by pinch hitters Haruki Tada (sac bunt) and Gavin Thompson (double) pushing the rally along. Logan Ullom was intentionally walked to loaded the bases with one out, allowing the infield to retreat to normal depth. A third pinch hitter, Nick Plucinski, worked back from an 0-2 count and delivered a go-ahead single to right field that brought two runners around.
   
• Carter pushed an insurance run across with a makeshift sac bunt and McCloskey protected the 4-1 lead the rest of the way, earning a victory to culminate his lengthy five-year career.
   
• Peloquin allowed just the one run over 6.1 innings of his final college outing, leaving to a nice ovation. He and McCloskey left double-digit Quakers on base as the visitors stranded a combined 19 overall, hitting into five double plays across the afternoon.

SENIOR SENDOFF:

After the conclusion of game two, Otterbein recognized eight seniors (and their families) for their contributions to the program since arrival; Sprowls, Grant, Jackson Wilson, Peloquin, Nathan Weita, Hunter Passwaters, Thompson and Will Johnson.

SUNDAY FINALE:

The Cardinals are slated to host Marietta in a non-conference game Sunday afternoon, but will certainly keep an eye on the weather overnight and into the morning. First pitch has been pushed back to 2:30 p.m.