Tigers Stare Down Elimination With Wins Over JCU, DePauw

CHILLICOTHE, OH - It was a bounceback day for Wittenberg Baseball at the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament as the second-seeded Tigers ended the seasons of fourth-seeded John Carroll and third-seeded DePauw to advance to the championship game for the second time in three years.

The two wins, coming less than 24 hours after a tourney-opening 7-6 loss to DePauw, came in wildly different ways. Wittenberg opened the second day of the NCAC Tournament with an 18-4 thrashing of the Blue Streaks and appeared to be on the way to another comfortable victory against DePauw, which lost 5-3 to top-seeded Denison in the first game of the day. However, DePauw struck for four runs in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game, setting the stage for a dramatic walk-off win for Wittenberg.

That brings Wittenberg to a showdown with Denison, the No. 1-ranked team in NCAA Division III. The Big Red have won the last six NCAC Tournament titles and are riding a stunning 38-game winning streak after defeating John Carroll, 13-11, on Thursday and DePauw, 5-3, on Friday. Denison, which is 39-1 overall after posting a perfect 16-0 record in the NCAC during the regular season, needs just one win Saturday to earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Wittenberg, which improved to 31-10 on the season after finishing 12-4 in the NCAC regular season, will need to beat Denison twice to win the title.

First pitch at VA Memorial Stadium is set for 11 a.m. Saturday. If Wittenberg forces a rematch, first pitch of the final game will be thrown approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the day's first game.

Wittenberg's day started with a match-up against NCAC newcomer John Carroll, which is completing its first year as a league member after moving from the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). With the Blue Streaks leading 3-1 in the third inning, Wittenberg's offense exploded for nine runs in the bottom half to take control. Alex Nemunaitis (Perrysburg, OH / Ottawa Hills) had the decisive blow, as he crushed a grand slam to cap the outburst.

The Tigers continued the offensive barrage over the last six innings, tacking on eight more runs in support of another outstanding start from Wade Thewes (Parker, CO / Lutheran). The sophomore right-hander improved to 7-2 on the season as he allowed three earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out nine batters. He was relieved by Gage Miller (Dublin, OH / Scioto), who tossed two innings to close things out.

Nemunaitis finished the two with six RBIs, Landon Turner (Tipp City, OH / Tippecanoe), Xander Rodriguez (Salinas, PR / Franklin County), and Charlie Marando () scored three runs each, Tommy Chilicki (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy) drove in four runs, and Corbin Marshall (Doylestown, OH / Chippewa) collected four hits in five at-bats.

Wittenberg got right back to work in the day's final game, scoring four runs in the second inning, one in the third, and three in the sixth to seemingly take control against DePauw. However, the Indiana Tigers didn't roll over, responding with a run in the seventh and stunning four-spot in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 8-8.

The Ohio Tigers wouldn't be denied, however. Quintin Applegate (Delaware, OH / Olentangy Berlin) reached on a one-out single and Marshall stepped up with a clutch double down the left field line to send Applegate around the bases with the winning run.

Mason Glen (Cincinnati, OH / Anderson) turned in a solid start for Wittenberg before giving way to Riley Kearns (Vermilion, OH / Vermilion) in the sixth inning and Mikey Eickhoff (Akron, OH / St. Vincent-St. Mary) in the seventh. Zach Rust (Dublin, OH / Coffman) got the win despite giving up four runs in an inning and a third on the mound.

Offensively, Wittenberg pounded out another 17 hits in the game. Nemunaitis, Chilicki, Applegate, and James MacAuley (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI / Grosse Pointe North) all had multi-hit games, while Marshall went 4-for-5 for a second straight game and Rodriguez pounded his record-breaking 15th home run of the season.

Written By: Ryan Maurer