CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Mount St. Joseph baseball team welcomed the Otterbein Cardinals to Midland Field to open their 2026 season on Saturday. The Lions won game one 6-2 behind dominant pitching, and rode a huge seven run sixth in game two to sweep the Cardinals.
GAME ONE | MSJ 6 - Otterbein 2 (WP: Josh Issacs, 1-0)
The Mount sent junior right-hander
Nolan Miller to the mound to start the 2026 season, and he did not disappoint. After a perfect top of the first, the Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the second. Miller was able to strand the runners after a strikeout, a pop out to short right and finished it off by picking the runner off at third base.
The Lions got the scoring started in the bottom of the second,
Jackson Gutzwiller led off with a single. He would score two outs later on a triple to right off the bat of
Will Record.
AJ Meyer then reached on an error which would score Record from third.
They would add two more in the bottom of the third,
Jordan Harley walked to start the inning then
Ethan Mason was hit-by-pitch. An out later Gutzwiller singled into center to drive in Harley, and
Andrew Clements followed that up with an RBI double.
Otterbein finally got on the board in the fourth, but the Lions answered with one of their own in the bottom of the inning with
Austin Buckle delivering the sacrifice fly.
In the fifth Miller would give way to
Josh Isaacs on the bump, who would pitch the final five innings allowing only three hits and one run while striking out three to earn the win.
The Mount's final run of game one came in the bottom of the sixth as
Brennan Martin drilled a solo homer into right field.
GAME TWO | MSJ 10 - Otterbein 9 (WP: Carson Taulbee 1-0; SV: Matt Frye 1)
The Lions turned to
Jackson Bucks to start game two, it was a tough start for the junior but after the second inning he really settled in. After allowing three through the first two innings he retired seven Cardinals in a row to wrap up his day.
Otterbein scored twice in the top of the first, but the Lions answered with three in the bottom of the inning. Buckle started the inning off with a single to right, Harley then beat out an infield single. Mason laid down a beautiful sac bunt to advance the runners. Martin walked to load the bases, they would score two on a wild pitch and error and then another on an RBI groundout from
Zac Clow.
Otterbein would tie it at three win a run in the top of the second. The score would remain deadlocked until Otterbein exploded for four in the top of the fifth.
Zach deSylva struggled allowing all four runs while only getting two outs,
Carson Taulbee came on and got a one pitch out to end the inning.
The Mount would answer big in the bottom of the sixth scoring seven times to take control of the game. The big swings in the inning came from Buckle who delivered a three-run triple and Clements who hit a two-out, two-run double.
In the top of the seventh Otterbein scored a pair to draw within one at 10-9.
Jeff Kist came on in the eighth and allowed a baserunner but, Legault was able to cut him down as he tried to advance to second on a ball that bounced at the plate.
Matt Frye came on in the ninth, after spending his first two years as a starter he will handle the closer role for the Lions this season and he was perfect. Retiring all three Cardinals he faced to secure the save.
UP NEXT:
The Lions will head south next weekend heading to Montgomery, Alabama where they will take on East Texas Baptist, Huntingdon and Adrian.
