Tigers Top Thomas More With Three In The Ninth
What a difference a week makes. Six days after losing a 19-8 decision to Thomas More at home in Springfield, the Wittenberg Tigers took to the road and captured a 5-2 decision on the Saints' home field.
CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - What a difference a week makes. Six days after losing a 19-8 decision to Thomas More at home in Springfield, the Wittenberg Tigers took to the road and captured a 5-2 decision on the Saints' home field.
The Tigers improved to 18-13 by winning for the fourth straight time since the Thomas More loss. Wittenberg is back home for a game against Findlay on Wednesday, a final tune-up for a make-or-break four-game weekend series at Earlham over the weekend. Wittenberg likely needs to sweep the series against the Quakers to earn the second and final North Coast Athletic Conference West Division playoff spot. Ohio Wesleyan has clinched the top spot in the division, and the Tigers are one of three teams in contention for second place and final position in the four-team NCAC Tournament.
Against Thomas More, the Tigers turned to a pair of freshmen for an outstanding pitching performance. A week after the Saints torched the Tigers for 19 runs and 22 hits, starter Tim Antil limited Thomas More to just four hits and two runs, just one earned. After the best performance of Antil's young collegiate career, freshman Josh Fiebiger was lights out in relief, tossing three innings of one-hit baseball.
He earned the first victory of his career in the Red & White after the Tigers rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth inning. Senior shortstop K.R. Schlievert had the big hit, a two-run single through the middle.
For the game, Wittenberg had four players collect two hits each - freshman third baseman Jacob Michael, Schlievert, senior designated hitter Brian Hampp and sophomore leftfielder Joel Puthoff.