Wittenberg And Wabash Split

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Both ends of Sunday's North Coast Athletic Conference West Division doubleheader followed a similar script - until the late innings. In the opener, Wittenberg staged a stunning comeback in the bottom of the seventh, rallying for three runs on two RBI walks and an RBI on hit batter for a 5-4 victory. In the nightcap, Wabash held on, stretching its lead out to five runs and then holding the Tiger rally off for a 7-4 victory.

The Tigers moved to 10-9 overall and 3-3 in the NCAC West. Wabash maintained its grip on first place with a 5-1 NCAC West record, in addition to its 13-9 overall mark.

Wittenberg jumped out in front with two unearned runs in the fifth inning before Wabash rallied for four runs in the sixth. The set the stage for one of the strangest game-winning rallies one will ever witness. After the first two Wittenberg hitters struck out, freshman Jon Fox laid down a bunt single, which was followed by a solid single to left field by junior K.R. Schlievert. Wabash ace John Thiry was replaced at that point by Jared Tarney, who jammed Wittenberg senior Jon Komperda. The ball trickled down the third base line, however, and Komperda beat the throw to first by a half-step. Then senior Matt Foster and junior Brian Hampp drove in the tying runs with back-to-back walks and junior Justin McCulla won it when he was hit in the upper arm with a pitch to end the game.

The rally made a winner out of senior Kurt Hartfelder, who tossed a complete game seven-hitter. Tarney took the loss.

In the nightcap, another pitchers' duel appeared to be developing before Wittenberg's defense broke down in the late innings. After Wittenberg took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on junior Brad Koopman's first collegiate home run, Wabash struck for three in the fifth to take a lead it would never relinquish. The Tigers got one back in the fifth, followed by four Wabash runs in the sixth and seventh. As a result, Wittenberg's rally in the bottom of the seventh this time came up short as Foster hit his first homer of the season, a two-run shot, and the tying run came to the plate with one out. However, this time Wabash stuck with starter Bill Goff and he recorded the final two outs.

Wittenberg committed three extremely costly errors in the game, leading to four unearned Little Giant runs. Tiger senior Ryan Goldschmidt allowed 10 hits and four walks in 6.2 innings before giving way to junior Tyler Jacobs, who threw one pitch to record an out. Goldschmidt struck out eight batters in the game, but just one of those punchouts came after the fourth inning. He did not allow a hit until that inning.