TIFFIN, Ohio — The Otterbein baseball team secured a conference sweep on Friday afternoon, taking both ends of a doubleheader at Heidelberg by scores of 6–3 and 3–2 at Peaceful Valley.
GAME ONE: Otterbein 6, Heidelberg 3
The Cardinals wasted no time jumping in front, plating three runs in the opening inning. After a leadoff single from Calvin Mabry, Jack Barber roped a double to put two runners in scoring position. Nolan James brought home the first run with a sacrifice fly before JT Gels followed with an RBI double. Cam Fisher capped the inning with an RBI single to give Otterbein a quick 3–0 advantage.
Otterbein continued to apply pressure midway through the game. In the fifth inning, Fisher delivered again with an RBI single to extend the lead. The Cardinals later capitalized on Heidelberg miscues in the seventh, adding two more runs. One run scored on a throwing error and another via an aggressive steal of home to stretch the margin to 6–1.
Heidelberg managed to push across a run in the sixth and added two more in the eighth, but the Cardinals' pitching staff held firm down the stretch.
Nick Mealey earned the win after tossing seven strong innings, allowing just three runs while striking out seven. Riley Abrams secured the save with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Offensively, Otterbein totaled 13 hits, highlighted by a perfect 5-for-5 performance from Gels, who added two doubles. Fisher recorded two hits and two RBIs, while Barber chipped in a double as part of a balanced attack.
GAME TWO: Otterbein 3, Heidelberg 2
Heidelberg struck first in the nightcap, scoring a pair of runs in the opening inning to take early control. The Cardinals gradually chipped away, breaking through in the sixth when James delivered an RBI double to bring Otterbein within one.
The decisive swing came in the eighth inning. Dean Orchard led off with a single before advancing on a sacrifice bunt. An error by the Heidelberg pitcher allowed the tying run to score, and Jack Barber followed with an RBI single to give Otterbein its first lead of the game at 3–2.
The Cardinals' pitching staff made the advantage stand. Maverick Rabe worked 6.1 innings, allowing two runs while keeping Heidelberg in check after the opening frame. Russ Wight earned the win in relief, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings and stranding the tying run in scoring position in the ninth.
At the plate, Otterbein collected 10 hits, with Geoffrey Siess leading the way with three. Barber added a two-hit performance with the go-ahead RBI, while James contributed the key extra-base hit in the comeback effort.
Tomorrow, Otterbein hosts Hanover for a non-conference game. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.
