Wittenberg Splits Saturday Doubleheader, Finishes Opening Weekend 2-1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
|
|
0 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 15 | 0 |
| Final (10) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 4 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
RICHMOND, KY – Wittenberg worked well into the night on the second day of a road trip to Kentucky before splitting a Saturday doubleheader, defeating Berea 14-4 in eight innings before falling to Kalamazoo 4-3 in 10 innings. Combined with the season-opening win over Carroll on Friday, the Tigers closed out a successful opening weekend with a 2-1 record.
Game One - Wittenberg 14, Berea 4 (8 innings)
After giving up an early lead, Wittenberg responded with an offensive surge in the second and third innings to secure a run-rule victory over Berea.
The Tigers broke a tie on a sacrifice fly by George Janzen (West Chester, OH / Roger Bacon) and quickly built separation. James MacAuley (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI / Grosse Point North) delivered a two-RBI single, Daniel Gladden (Galena, OH / Olentangy Berlin) launched a two-run home run, Janzen added an RBI double, Gavin Lones (Bellefontaine, OH / Indian Lake) followed with a two-RBI single as Wittenberg took control of the game.
MacAuley led the offense with a 4-for-4 performance, while Gladden finished 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Tommy Chilicki (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy), JT Bried (San Diego, CA / Maranatha Christian), and Janzen each doubled, Landon Turner (Tipp City, OH / Tippecanoe) tripled, and Wittenberg totaled 14 runs with contributions throughout the lineup.
On the mound, Andrew Rust (Dublin, OH / Coffman) earned the win after striking out the side to open the game. Rust worked a strong five innings, allowing just two hits and one run while striking out eight.
Game Two - Kalamazoo 4, Wittenberg 3 (10 innings)
Kalamazoo took a two-run lead in the third before Wittenberg responded immediately. Gladden delivered his second two-run home run of the day, driving in Jalen Williams to tie the game. The Tigers took a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Quintin Applegate (Delaware, OH / Olentangy Berlin) that scored Alex Nemunaitis (Perrysburg, OH / Ottawa Hills).
Kalamazoo evened the score in the eighth to force extras and pushed across the deciding run in the 10th.
Wade Thewes (Parker, CO / Lutheran) turned in a strong start, tossing seven innings while allowing five hits and just one earned run with five strikeouts. Offensively, Nemunaitis recorded three hits, Applegate two, and Xander Rodriguez (Salinas, PR / Franklin County) reached base four times with two hits, including a double, and two walks.
Weekend Highlights
Nemunaitis reached base 12 times over the weekend, going 9-for-13 with two home runs, a double, a triple, and seven RBIs. MacAuley tallied eight hits and four stolen bases, while Gladden recorded six hits, two home runs, two doubles, and five RBIs.
Wittenberg returns to action next weekend with a three-game series at Maryville in Tennessee.
Written by: Luke Thomas