FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Haverford College baseball team (2-3) was upended by Otterbein (4-2) in a morning contest at Terry Park, falling by a 6-4 final in a Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic contest that was much more of a pitcher's duel than the final line score may lead you to believe.
The two sides both sent a talented hurler to the mound as Haverford's Josh Fuller (0-2) was countered by Jackson Peloquin, making his first career start for the Cardinals. Fuller was dominant in the early goings for Haverford, setting down the first 10 batters he faced in an impressive first turn through the order.
On the other end, Peloquin worked his way out of jams as his teammates picked him up on multiple occasions by virtue of double play grounders. Haverford staked its early advantage in the second as Zach Landry singled ahead of Zach Buck who also punched a single into left field. Landry took third on a double play grounder, and came into score on a wild pitch from Peloquin. To Peloquin's credit, the Cardinals starter looked poised to limit the damage from that point of the contest.
The two sides swapped scoreless frames until the Cardinals went ahead witha rally in the seventh inning. Eric Kopczynski came in relief of Fuller after Fuller allowed two runners to reach with one out in the frame. A pinch hit walk by Zach Franz loaded the bases, and it was leadoff hitter Brayden Carter who notched a two-RBI single to give Otterbein the 2-1 lead.
The Cardinals added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning, and those runs proved to be vital as Haverford put forth a rally of their own in the eighth inning. With one down, Zach Becker laced a single down the left field line and Jack Wallis then doubled into the left-center gap. Landry tallied a sacrifice fly to score Becker, and Buck then punched through a single to score Wallis. Pinch hitter Anthony Runfola then singled through the left side of the infield to put Haverford right back into the contest down just 6-4.
In the top of the ninth, a wild pitch added an extra run for Ottterbein. Luke Smith walked with one out in the bottom of the frame, and Becker then crushed a pitch into center field that Ryan Mitchell made an acrobatic snag on to squash thoughts of a Haverford rally.
Fuller's gem included just three hits and one walk against three strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work. Peloquin matched that effort, scattering eight hits and no walks against two strikeouts. Ashton Spurgeon worked a scoreless ninth for his first save of the season. Buck went 3-4 to lead the Fords, the only hitter in the contest to tally a three-hit game.
Haverford next returns to action tomorrow with a 12 p.m. contest against Alvernia. The Fords and Golden Wolves will be facing off for the first time since the 2016 season and the first time at a neutral site since the 2012 Lakewood, N.J. NCAA regional.