Wittenberg Drops Both Ends Of NCAC West Doubleheader Against Denison

SPRINFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers were unable to keep the momentum going, dropping both ends of a doubleheader against North Coast Athletic Conference West Division arch-rival Denison on a chilly Monday evening at Carleton-Davidson Stadium. The Big Red took advantage of five Wittenberg errors in the opener to capture a 7-4 victory, and Denison evened the series at two games apiece with an 8-2 win in the nightcap. 

The Tigers dropped to 9-6 overall and 2-2 in the early going of the 2006 NCAC West Division title chase.

In the opener, errors opened the door for Denison rallies in four different innings, including one by Tiger starting pitcher Steve Less, who allowed four earned runs out of seven overall on 10 hits and one walk. Less has pitched into some hard luck this season. He now has a 1-2 record despite a 2.30 earned run average (19 runs, seven earned, in 27 innings pitched).

Offensively, the big blow for the Tigers was provided by freshman outfielder Patrick Williams, who atoned for a first inning that led to the first Denison run with a solo homer in the third inning that closed the gap to 6-3. However, Denison starter J.D. Wyborny limited the Tigers to six hits, all by different batters, to collect the win.

In the nightcap, the two teams were tied at 2-2 in the third inning before the Big Red broke out. In a strange fourth inning, Denison scored five runs on one hit, one Wittenberg error, three walks and two hit batsmen. Denison starter James Clear took care of things from there, stifling Wittenberg's potent offense to the tune of five hits and two earned runs on the night. Nine Tiger batters went down on strikes, while Clear did not issue a single free pass in going the distance.

Wittenberg's offense was held in check, except for speedy leadoff man Jon Fox, who reached base twice and scored once. Senior shortstop K.R. Schlievert and Williams had the runs batted in.