TIFFIN –The Student Princes are now the queens of the OAC.

With a one game lead at the start of the final day of the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season, the Heidelberg University softball team left nothing to chance on Sunday. The Student Princes swept the visiting Cardinals of Otterbein University, 8-1 and 7-3.

The victories gave Heidelberg the OAC regular season title for the first time. They finished the regular season 12-0 at home in the inaugural season for Frann's Field.

Heidelberg (27-7, 16-2) will host the four-team Ohio Athletic Conference tournament, which begins on Friday. Capital, Ohio Northern and John Carroll have also qualified. Otterbein, who started the day in contention, fell to 14-20, 9-9 in the OAC.

KEY STATS: Abbey McKee was the catalyst offensively. The freshman was 6-for-8 with three doubles, a homer and four RBI ... Juniors Mikaela Mitsch and Marissa Smego each had four hits ... After a tough day defensively at Ohio Wesleyan, Heidelberg was perfect in the field.

GAME ONE – Heidelberg 8 Otterbein 1: The Student Princes got on the board first with a run in the second inning. Kyleah Brey hit a bouncer up the middle, plating Kayla Zachrich from second.

In the third, Marissa Smego singled and moved to third on a double by Mikaela Mitsch. They nboth scored on a double to right center by Zachrich. After a pitching change, Heidelberg's third straight double – off the bat of Abbey McKee – brought in Zachrich.

Heidelberg tacked on a run in the fourth. Randi Kelsey walked and went to second on a single by Taylor Hicks. A single up the middle by Renee Lovett scored the run from second, putting HU up 5-0.

A two-out single by Molly Riggs brought in Courtney Hanna from third, giving the Cardinals hope in the top of the fifth.

Heidelberg removed all doubt with a three-run fifth. McKee socked her second double of the game to start the frame. Brey singled, sending pinch runner Jordan Hux to third. Hux scored on a sacrifice fly by Christine Bowling. Later, Hicks and Lovett each contributed RBI singles, giving Heidelberg an 8-1 lead.

Zachrich ended the game with a diving catch on a pop up behind third -- sealing the win, the conference title, and the right to host the tournament.

GAME TWO – Heidelberg 7 Otterbein 3: Needing a win to keep their tournament hopes alive, Otterbein took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. A hit batsmen and back-to-back doubles, giving the Cards their first lead of the day.

The Tricolor erupted for five runs in the fifth, all with two outs. Smego singled home Hicks and went to second on the throw home. She scored on a basehit by Mitsch. After a single by Zachrich, McKee hit a home run to center into the teeth of a stiff April wind.

Heidelberg added a pair in the fifth on a two-out two-run single to right by Haylee Patel.

In the sixth, Otterbein scratched a run across. It took a two-out single by Hannah Smith to do it.

As they did in the first game, the Student Princes clinched the nightcap with a defensive gem. Brey snared a liner to third and fired to Smego at first to double up Tayler Sbroccco.

IN THE CIRCLE: Paige Atterholt pitched two complete games. She limited the Cardinals to four runs over 14 innings. She fanned three, walked one and improved to 12-2 on the year.

EXTRA BASES: With 27 wins, Heidelberg set a new program record (eclipsing last year's 25 wins) ... Smego's four hits pushed her past current assistant coach Bessie Artino atop the program's single season hit list. Smego has 56 hits, one more than Artino had in 2011 ... McKee tied Artino atop the single season doubles list with 14 ... Smego ended the season batting an even .500 in conference action.

THE QUOTES: McKee on her strong week (.714, 4HR, 1.857 slugging, 8 RBI) at the plate – "I had to change my approach at the plate ... It wasn't my hands, it wasn't my fundamentals, it was my mind ... This week, when I walked to the plate, I had the attitude that I would hit the ball hard and do the best I could for my team."

McKee on winning the conference title – "It's everything I've worked for for 15 years ... It's been my dream and it's finally coming true."

Atterholt, as one of five juniors, about the difference this year over other years – "It's such a different atmosphere here this year ... Everyone wants to be here and wants to contribute."

Head coach Betsy Hada on winning the first title in program history – "It's been my goal since I was a freshman here to get the program to this level ... I couldn't be more proud of my kids – not just the kids this year, but the ones from the past that helped us build up to where we are."

THE TOURNAMENT: Four games will be played on Friday, with #2 Capital and #3 Ohio Northern starting off at 10 a.m. #1 Heidelberg and #4 John Carroll will battle around noon. Ticket prices, hotel information and other important information will be disseminated early this week.