Recap

Number-one seeded Otterbein scored five runs in the eighth inning, topping second-seeded Marietta, 11-6, in the winner’s bracket game of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament.

The win advances the Cardinals into the championship game for the third time in the last four years.

Otterbein (28-13) trailed the Pioneers, 6-5, heading into the eighth, but took a one-run lead after center fielder Pat Connor, a sophomore from Columbus (Bishop Watterson), lined a two-run double down the right-field line.

One batter later, designated hitter Kyle Dyar, a freshman from Newark, connected for a three-run homer, giving the Cardinals a 10-6 lead.

Shortstop Ben Titus, a sophomore from Bowling Green, added a solo home run in the ninth off freshman reliever Tim Knowlton, from Greenwich (Mapleton), to make it 11-6. Titus finished the day 2 for 4 at the plate, with three RBI.

Ryan Dennick, a freshman from North Olmsted, took the loss for the Pioneers (33-9), allowing five runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning. The right-hander relieved starting pitcher Mike DeMark, a senior from Jeanette, Pa. ( Penn-Trafford), in the eighth inning, nursing a 6-5 lead. Demark allowed five runs, two unearned, on six hits.

Sophomore right-hander Dan Remenowsky (8-2), from Cincinnati (Moeller), earned the win for the Cardinals, allowing six runs in eight innings of work.