OBERLIN, Ohio – It didn't start well, but Otterbein stayed the course and found ways to churn out a W in non-conference play up at Oberlin College on Wednesday afternoon.

The Cardinals, spotting the Yeomen a touchdown almost before you could settle into your mid-week viewing spot, worked all the way back over nine full innings to eventually manufacture a 10-9 result at Dill Field.

Otterbein runs its winning streak to five games after a semi-quick turnaround from its Florida trip, where the Cards landed back in Columbus well after midnight in the wee hours of Monday morning. Nevertheless, the group now stands 9-4 on the young campaign.

HOW IT WENT DOWN:

• Oberlin took advantage of a few miscues by the Cardinals defensively in the first, bringing around a full six pack of runs in the process.
   
• The Cards began working back a second time through the lineup, plating five in the third to finally settle in. Five consecutive batters reach base, including a trio of singles to kickstart the sequence, to shrink the deficit to just a pair.
   
• Both teams traded two-run sequences over the middle innings, highlighted by Max McCann delivering a two-out, two-run homer that would prove vital entering the homestretch.
   
• Braydon McCloskey once again provided a stellar long-relief effort, mirroring what he did recently against Alvernia. This time, he entered in the bottom of the fourth and kept the Yeomen scoreless over 4.2 efficient frames (on just 47 pitches).
   
• But Luigi Smarro was doing much of the same for the home side as Otterbein needed a resilient effort in the ninth to sneak ahead. Trailing 9-7, leadoff singles from Noah Sprowls and Jamie Perebzak began the game-winning push…
   
• Brayden Quincel was plunked by a pitch, Gavin Thompson got around to smoke a timely RBI-single to left field, and McCann brought around the tying run shortly thereafter with a hit that dropped in shallow center. Gavin Wolf got enough of his pitch to register a sac fly into right field, allowing inch runner Zac Woolum to trot home standing up.
   
• The Cardinals went to stud reliever Sam Sethna in the ninth, who pitched around a one-out single to induce a 1-6-4-3 double play to end the fame after the ball ricocheted off his glove. It marked his third save of the year.

BOX SCORE NOTABLES:

• The game saw a combined 28 hits and the top-five bats in the Oberlin lineup all enjoy multi-smack days.
   
• McCann led the Cardinals with a 3 for 5 effort in the six hole, while Brayden Carter had two pokes from his leadoff position.
   
• McCloskey nabs his first win of the spring and has allowed just two runs over his last 14 innings of work.
   
• Perebzak's single in the ninth extended his hitting streak to 12 games.

 
UP NEXT:

Otterbein will travel to the BSN Sports Invitational down at Marietta for a little round-robin experience, with a solo game against Eastern Connecticut State followed by a Saturday doubleheader with Johnson & Wales.