PHOTO GALLERY

FORT MYERS, Fla. – It was an admirable and much-needed response from Otterbein on the baseball diamond Tuesday afternoon, where the Cardinals overcame a rough first inning to eventually overtake Alvernia and win 9-6 at Terry Park.

The Cards, back in varsity action following a disappointing Sunday up in Port Charlotte, face a 5-0 deficit in the opening frame but slowly worked themselves back in a sport that has no game clock.

HOW IT PLAYED OUT:

• Starting pitcher Noah Gruver tallied a pair of backwards K's before encountering some command issues, as the Golden Wolves took advantage of four free bases. They snuck in a trio of singles through the right side to plate five runs in the sequence.
   
• Veteran reliever Braydon McCloskey, who began playing for Otterbein in the mid 1990's, provided an excellent long-relief effort to keep Alvernia in a standstill and let the offense work back. He was forced to warm up quickly but proceeded to toss 4.1 scoreless frames.
   
• Brayden Quincel got the Cardinals on the board in the second during a strange/broken play, where umpires ruled his ball to right-center hit the ground after some miscommunication (by a pair of Golden Wolves) and catch attempt by the centerfielder. During his refute, Quincel hustled all the way around to cross. The play was scored an inside-the-park home run after extensive review.
   
• Noah Sprowls had an RBI poke in the third before Otterbein added more in the next frame to draw even. Three-straight batters reached to load the bags, followed by an Alvernia fielding error and timely single from Caden Kirker after a pitching change. The Cards were threatening to add more but got picked off at first base to halt the momentum.
   
• Otterbein nearly took the lead in the fifth on a smack down the right-field line from Gavin Thompson, as Jamie Perebzak was going to easily score but was brought back to third after it was deemed a ground-rule double entering the Alvernia bullpen.
   
• But have no fear, as the Cardinals enjoyed a four-course meal in the sixth to vault ahead for good. The two-out rally began with Sprowls getting around for an RBI through the left side, and was punctuated on extra-base knocks from Perebzak and Quincel.
   
• That support was more than sufficient for sophomore reliever Sam Sethna, who allowed just one run over the last four innings earn a W as the pitcher of record. He sat down four Golden Wolves and walked none.
   
• Thompson finished 3 for 4 so lead four Cardinals posting multi-hit games. Otterbein doubled-up Alvernia in total hits altogether.

LOOKING AHEAD:

• The Cardinals will take Wednesday off before returning to Field #2 at Terry Park against Rockford (Ill.) come Thursday at noon.