Wittenberg Splits With Thomas More

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers have made a habit of splitting doubleheaders in North Coast Athletic Conference West Division play. So it figures that the Tigers would split a doubleheader out of conference as they won Game 1 against visiting Thomas More, 5-3, but lost Game 2 by a score of 6-4.

Wittenberg moved to 13-11 overall, including a mark of 4-4 in the NCAC West as the rest of the division continued the round robin at other sites. Thomas More is now 13-9 heading into another doubleheader at Carleton Davidson Stadium on Sunday.

The Tigers had to rally from a 2-0 hole in the first game, making a winner for the fifth time in sixth decisions out of senior Kurt Hartfelder. He went the distance, allowing six hits and three walks as the Tigers played errorless defense behind him.

Offensively, Wittenberg tied the game at two with a pair of scores in the third inning, took a one-run lead in the fourth and then broke a 3-3 tie with two runs on a sacrifice fly by junior K.R. Schlievert and an RBI single by junior Brian Hampp.

In the nightcap, the Tigers got another solid starting performance, this time from senior Ryan Goldschmidt, who allowed nine hits and no walks in a complete-game loss. Goldschmidt, who dropped to 1-4 on the season despite a respectable 4.46 earned run average, was hurt by four hit batsmen, the last of which drove in a pivotal run in the top of the sixth inning. Thomas More scored two runs on just one hit in that inning.

Wittenberg's offense stranded 13 runners in the game, despite collecting nine hits, garnering two hit batsmen and coaxing six walks in the game. Sophomore Andrew Wellman reached base all four times up, twice on hits and twice on walks, freshman Jon Fox had his second straight two-hit game and junior Brad Koopman had a clutch two-out, two-strike single that drove in two runs to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.