Tigers Run Win Streak To Seven With Sweep Of Mount St. Joseph

CINCINNATI, Ohio - There's hot and then there's red hot. The Wittenberg Tigers fall in the latter category after sweeping a doubleheader at Mount St. Joseph by scores of 6-2 and 11-2 to run their win streak to seven.

The Tigers, winners of seven straight games and 10 of 12 since returning from their Spring Break trip to Kissimmee, Fla., are now 15-7 overall, heading into a weekend road trip to Albion. The Lions fell to 3-7 on the season.

After spotting the host team a first-inning run in the opener, the Tiger offense went to work, posting a pair of game-changing three-run rallies. The first, in the second inning, was highlighted by a two-run double by sophomore Rachael Hatcher (West Carrollton, Ohio/West Carrollton). The second, in the sixth inning, featured a two-run homer by freshman Cameron Catalfu (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland).

That all made a winner for the ninth time already this season of Hatcher, who made life easier on herself by allowing no walks. Mount St. Joseph scratched out seven hits but scored just one earned run as Hatcher went the distance and improved to 9-3 on the season.

The host team took a first-inning lead in the second game as well, but this time the Tiger offense didn't allow the error-prone Lions to hang around as long. Mount St. Joseph committed four errors in each game, with six of Wittenberg's runs in the nightcap being of the unearned variety.

The 11-run Wittenberg outburst was powered by 14 hits, including a perfect 3-for-3 performance from senior Grace Wigton (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Christian), who drove in a career-high three RBI. Four other players turned in multi-hit games, including Hatcher, who drove in a pair and scored a pair as well.

Wigton improved to 5-2 on the season as she went all five innings in the run-rule shortened game. Like Hatcher, Wigton did not surrender a walk, making life much easier as the Lions banged out four hits but were unable to take advantage of three Wittenberg errors.