Wittenberg Falls To Nationally Ranked Wooster In NCAC Tournament Semifinals
In their first North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament appearance in three years, the Wittenberg Tigers dropped both ends of a doubleheader at the College of Wooster Saturday, 4-0 and 15-8. The losses dropped the Tigers to 21-16 overall after a 9-5 record in the NCAC West Division, good for a second-place tie with Ohio Wesleyan and a berth in the four-team tournament by virtue of tiebreaker criteria.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - In their first North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament appearance in three years, the Wittenberg Tigers dropped both ends of a doubleheader at the College of Wooster Saturday, 4-0 and 15-8. The losses dropped the Tigers to 21-16 overall after a 9-5 record in the NCAC West Division, good for a second-place tie with Ohio Wesleyan and a berth in the four-team tournament by virtue of tiebreaker criteria.
The win moved the Scots into their customary position in the NCAC Tournament championship series, scheduled for Thursday and Friday at Carleton Davidson Stadium in Springfield. Wooster, ranked fourth in the nation, improved to 30-6 overall in 2005 after posting a 15-1 record in the East Division.
In the opener, the Tigers got a solid pitching performance from junior starter Steve Less, who allowed five hits and four walks in five innings before departing with an injury. He allowed two runs (one earned), but he took the loss as his teammates were unable to generate any offense. He was relieved by junior Jason Holmberg, who went three innings and allowed three hits, one walk and two earned runs.
Offensively, the Tigers never got a leadoff hitter on base in the nine-inning game. And all five hits, by five different players, were singles. No Tiger runner even passed second base.
Game 2 was decided relatively early, even though the Tigers did rally to make a game of it. Wooster's offense was just too much as the Scots pounded out 19 hits and pushed across 15 runs, including seven in a decisive second inning against Wittenberg senior starter Ryan Goldschmidt, who was making his final start in the Red & White.
Wittenberg never got any closer than five runs the rest of the way, and six of the Tigers' eight runs were scored in the final two innings. Junior Brian Hampp and senior Matt Foster each collected three hits in the game, but again all 11 Tiger hits were singles. By contrast, Wooster had five doubles in Game 2 alone.