Wittenberg Pulls Out One-Run Win Over Defiance
The Wittenberg Tigers did it the hard way, but when the dust had settled they had themselves a hard-fought 5-4 victory over visiting Defiance College in a night game at Carleton Davidson Stadium.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers did it the hard way, but when the dust had settled they had themselves a hard-fought 5-4 victory over visiting Defiance College in a night game at Carleton Davidson Stadium.
The win moved the Tigers to 12-9 overall. While he wasn't around to see the end of it after being ejected by the umpiring crew, Wittenberg Head Coach Jay Lewis gets credit for win No. 201, bringing him within two career victories of school record-holder Howard "Red" Maurer, who finished his 25-year baseball coaching career with 203 wins in 1975.
This game featured a combined nine errors, in part because both teams were so aggressive on the basepaths, combining for eight stolen bases between them. Just one of the game's 16 hits went for extra bases, which, along with nine walks issued by the two team's pitchers, created numerous running situations.
The Tigers parlayed the five Defiance errors in two runs in the sixth inning and three more in the seventh, which made a winner out of freshman pitcher Chris Green, who allowed one unearned run in three innings of outstanding relief. He came on after freshman starter Tim Antil went six solid innings, scattering five hits and three walks while allowing three earned runs in the third inning.
Offensively, the Tigers collected 10 hits, including two apiece for sophomore outfielder Jon Fox, senior shortstop K.R. Schlievert, junior first baseman Andrew Wellman and freshman outfielder Patrick Williams. Wellman scored two of the Tigers' five runs.