The distance between third base and home plate is measured at 90 feet, but sometimes the distance can feel like a mile.

Such was the case Friday afternoon at Schweickert Field where host John Carroll had to go 12 innings in game two to earn a split with Otterbein College in the Ohio Athletic Conference opener for both schools.

Box Scores: Game 1  /  Game 2

Otterbein won the first game in a rout by a 14-3 score before the Blue Streaks rebounded for a 4-3 vicory in game two.

The lid lifter was over before it really started. Otterbein's John Quimby led off the contest with a solo home run, and was followed over the outfield wall later in the inning by Josh Coleman. Before a Blue Streak had swung a bat, Otterbein had taken a 7-0 lead.

The margin never dipped below seven runs, which was all the support Otterbein ace John LaCorte would need, as he held JCU to a single run on four hits in his six innings of work. The Streaks tacked on two runs on two hits in the seventh.

As undramatic as game one turned out to be, game two was a tense affair from the start. John Carroll's
John Moonan (Rochester, NY, McQuaid Jesuit) and Otterbein's Matt Frey locked up in a pitcher's duel that stood at 2-2 through the first six innings.

Reigning OAC Hitter of the Week Ryan Pacyga (Forest Park, IL, Nazareth Academy) would untie the score in the bottom of the seventh when he chased Frey with a lead off home run that gave JCU a 3-2 edge.

In the top of the ninth, Otterbein would tie the score at 3-3 when a lead off walk by A.J. Barnes off closer Michael Eden (Aurora, OH, Aurora) would come around to score on a two out single by Quimby.

From there, John Carroll would discover how long 90 feet could truly be. The Blue Streaks had a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth with two outs but could not score, and then had a runner at third with less than two outs in the tenth but failed to drive him home.

The Blue Streaks finally cashed in when the opportunity presented itself once again in the 12th. A lead off walk by Chris Larry (Grand Island, NY, Buffalo St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute)followed by a botched play on a sacrifice bunt attempt from the bat of Ryan Konsler (Lake Forest, Lake Forest) put runners on first and second with no outs.

After Dominic Varacallo (DuBois, PA, DuBois Central Catholic) bunted the runners over, Matt Lindenberger (Erie, PA, Cathedral ) lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score pinch runner Patrick Fallon (North Olmsted, St. Edward) from third.

Michael Eden worked four innings of relief, allowing just the one hit and one run while striking out seven.

John Carroll is now 11-7 overall and 1-1 in the OAC, while Otterbein moves to 9-4 and 1-1 in league play.