Recap

Otterbein first baseman Bobby Wright, a junior from Grove City (Westland), hit a first-inning grand slam and the first-seeded Cardinals crushed fourth-seeded Mount Union, 17-0, in the first round of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament.

Wright finished the afternoon with four hits and five RBI while the Cardinal offense collected 22 hits. The Cardinals scored a run in every inning except the third and 12 different batters collected at least one base hit. Seven finished the ballgame with multiple hits.

Right-handed pitcher Doug Stevens, a sophomore from Newark (Newark Catholic), earned the win for Otterbein, tossing six innings of scoreless baseball. Stevens recorded four strikeouts and scattered five hits without allowing a walk. Stevens, who improves to 9-0 on the season, has earned victories in each of his last 11 starts, dating back to last season.

Right-handed reliever Andrew Harrison, a junior from Calgary, Can (Lord Beaverbrooke), and right-hander J.J. Mathews, a sophomore from Hilliard (Darby), combined for three scoreless innings of relief.

The shutout marks only the second time this season that Mount Union (22-16) has failed to score a run in a ballgame. The last came in a 4-0 loss to Otterbein April 15.

Otterbein and number-two seed Marietta square off in the winner’s bracket, 9:30 a.m., Friday. Mount Union will face number-three seeded Heidelberg at 12:30 p.m. in this double-elimination tournament.