The April weather started off cold and bitter, just like the Otterbein baseball team.
After winning their first game against Case Western University, the Cardinals fell into a six-game slump.
The team lost to the College of Wooster and Denison University and suffered double- header losses against Heidelberg and Baldwin-Wallace.
However, since the Baldwin-Wallace loss on April 10, the Cardinals have been flying high once again.
The team has won 10 of its last 12 games, including a sweep against the Marietta Pioneers at Marietta.
The Pioneers, who were first in conference standings, fell to third place with a rapidly improving Otterbein team breathing down their neck in fourth.
Game one saw Otterbein in the winner's circle with a refreshing 8-5 victory.
"We are finally hitting, pitching and fielding the ball the way we should have been all along," said sophomore Brian Hiscox.
The Cardinals fought through seven innings, earning eight runs and committing no errors.
Marietta went on the offensive first, earning two runs in the third inning. Otterbein answered in the fifth inning with Hiscox's homerun, which put the Cardinals up 3-2.
Marietta attempted to get back in the game, but Otterbein was too hot to handle, earning five runs in the top of the seventh.
Senior Aaron Hutchison crushed whatever chances the Pioneers had with an inside-the-park homerun.
Senior pitcher Dan Remenowsky solidified the win with a double Pioneer strike-out in the bottom of the seventh.
Remenowsky gave up five runs, but earned nine strike-outs, making him 3-1 for the year.
"I hope my mechanics continue to improve my performance, so I can do everything I can to put us in a great position to win," said Remenowsky.
Otterbein came out swinging for the fences in game two, beating Marietta 19-15. The Cardinals hit the home plate first, earning two runs in the top of the first inning.
The team wasn't finished there; earning eight runs in the second inning, courtesy of junior Dan Lassak and senior Pat Connor.
The Cardinals continued the hot streak at bat, earning five runs in the top of the fourth, to put them up 15-0.
"I think if we keep playing the way we have been playing, nobody in the OAC or in the region can beat us. If we just keep playing our game, we will keep winning," said Hiscox.
Marietta's defeat was delayed with a little help from Mother Nature in the fourth inning.
Unfortunately for the Pioneers, the rain couldn't cool off the Cardinals.
When the game started back up, Marietta earned a quick eight runs in three innings.
Determined not to lose, the Cardinals came back to life in the top of the eighth inning, going on a successive three-run streak.
Hiscox sealed the deal for the Cardinals in the ninth, hitting his fifth homerun in three days.
"I just focus and I try to relax while I am in the box," said Hiscox on his eight homeruns for the year.
Hiscox earned the OAC's Hitter of the Week award. During the week he went 14-28, with five homeruns and 17 RBIs.
Senior Doug Stevens earned the quality win for the Cardinals, bringing him to 3-1 on the year.
The win over Marietta put Otterbein at 18-10 and 7-5 in conference play.
"We're playing at our best and it couldn't be at a more perfect time," said Remenowsky.
The Cardinals record is now 20-11 and 9-5 in the OAC. The Cardinals are in action Saturday against Capital.t&c;
