Quakers split with Otterbein

WESTERVILLE (April 5, 2003) -- The Wilmington College Quakers split a double header with conference foe Otterbein College on Saturday. The Quakers won the first contest 9-4 before falling 6-5 in the afternoon finale.

In the first game the Quakers and Cardinals both scored two runs in their halves of the first inning with Otterbein adding their third run of the game in the second, taking a 3-2 advantage. After tying the game with a run in the fourth, the Quaker bats came alive with a trifecta of runs in the sixth and seventh while the Cardinals were only able to manage a single run the rest of the way.

The Green and White managed only seven hits in the first game, with all seven coming from different batters. Tom Harter (Westlake/Westlake) knocked in a pair of runs batted in while Justin Evans (Franklin/Franklin) and Jimmy Wolverton (London/Madison Plains) each scored a pair of runs. Derek Wellington (Chillicothe/Chillicothe) pitched the complete game for the Quakers, improving his record to 5-0 while striking out four in the game.

In the second game the Quakers started the scoring with two runs in the second inning before the Cardinals erupted for five runs in the bottom of the second, creating a deficit that the Quakers could not recover from. The Cardinal's lead grew to four when the hosts scored a run in the fourth to take a 6-2 lead before the Green and White closed the gap with three runs in the fifth inning, but it was not enough as the Quakers were defeated 6-5.

For the second straight game, each of the team's seven hits came from seven different batters. Harter, Aaron Lawson (Hebron/Lakewood), Ben Buehner (Germantown/Valley View), Brent Bird (Columbus/Hilliard Darby) and Drew Kesse (Cincinnati/Colerain) each scored one run while Buehner, Chad Abbott (Hillsboro/Hillsboro) and Jerod Theobald (Cleves/LaSalle) each knocked in a run. Luke Ogden (Peebles/Peebles) picked up the loss, pitching six strong innings, striking out one in the game.

The split brings the Quakers record to 15-5-1 on the season and an even 2-2 in OAC play while Otterbein goes to 8-7 and 2-2 in conference action.

The next game for the Green and White is on Monday, April 7 when the team travels to face off against Georgetown College in a double header with the first game set for 5:00 p.m.