Tigers Sweep Crusaders In Final Home Doubleheader
The Wittenberg baseball team improved to 15-18 overall with a doubleheader sweep of Capital by scores of 7-6 and 7-3 Tuesday evening, winning both games in their final home appearance of the season, while Capital fell to 7-20 in their 2010 campaign.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg baseball team improved to 15-18 overall with a doubleheader sweep of Capital by scores of 7-6 and 7-3 Tuesday evening, winning both games in their final home appearance of the season, while Capital fell to 7-20 in their 2010 campaign.
The Tigers earned two confidence victories with a late-game RBI single from freshman second baseman Zac Daniels (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) in Game 1, while five great innings of starting pitching from senior Joel Assenheimer (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) highlighted Game 2.
The Crusaders and Tigers battled to a 6-6 stalemate through five innings. In the second inning, Capital scored three and Wittenberg answered with two before jumping out to a 5-3 lead with a three-run third. Each team added one in the fourth and Capital tied it up with two runs in the fifth. Daniels then drove in the game-winning run in the sixth and the Tigers held on in the final half inning for the win.
Freshman Kevin Tolle (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) picked up the win after entering in the sixth inning. He threw two scoreless innings while allowing just two hits with one strikeout and one walk. He relieved junior Chris Tabler (Piqua, Ohio/Piqua) after his one-hit, one-strikeout inning in relief of junior starting pitcherZach Spring (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty). Spring went four innings and allowed five hits to score six runs, only three earned, on three strikeouts.
Junior catcher Jason Haunty (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington)highlighted the offense in Game 1 with a two-run home run in the second inning, while Daniels was 2-for-4 with an RBI and junior Ray Noe (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome), freshman Grant Goodwin (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) and senior Kory Winter (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) each added an RBI.
Assenheimer took the mound to start Game 2 and gave up just one run on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Senior Chris Green (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle)gave up two runs in a relief appearance, while freshman Zack Finke (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) and freshman Ethan Sharpin (Springfield, Ohio/Kenton Ridge)were both effective in one inning apiece.
Junior Stefan Kegler (Columbus, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) started at third in the nightcap and both drove in and scored two runs in a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate. Winter went 2-for-3 with a team-high three RBIs and two runs scored, and seniorA.J. Bush (Troy, Ohio/Troy) and freshman Graham Wolff (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) each provided one more run.
In the late game, the Crusaders got out to an early 1-0 lead after the first, but their bats went quiet until the sixth inning when they scored two off of Green. Meanwhile, the Tigers picked up three in the third and the fifth for the final margin.
The Tigers finish up regular season North Coast Athletic Conference West Division action with a make-up doubleheader at Wabash on Saturday, April 24, beginning at Noon, before finishing off the regular slate with a 4 p.m. nine-inning game at Thomas More on Tuesday, April 27.