Tigers, Capital Trade Blows In Home-Opening Split

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Wittenberg softball moved to 7-7 overall on the year with a split against Capital in the Tigers' home opener, winning 6-2 in the opener and dropping the late game 7-3.

Freshman Charlee Clark (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) and sophomore Casey Hobbs (Fairborn, Ohio/Carroll) each homered in the early contest, the second of the season for both. Hobbs' smash was a two-run job, and she later pushed across another run to finish the game 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Clark was 1-for-2 with two runs scored, one RBI and a walk.

Junior Kaela Hughes (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) also went 2-for-3 and accounted for one RBI, as senior Shelby Knapp (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) and freshman Sam Bausch (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) each nabbed a base in the game. As a team, the Tigers outhit Capital 7-3.

Freshman Chelsea Zang (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) limited the Crusaders to just three hits and three walks that scored two runs, improving to 5-1 with the complete game victory.

Hobbs also did some damage in game two, stealing two bags and going 2-for-4 at the plate to make it 4-for-7 on the day. Sophomore Tori Simek (Conneaut, Ohio/Conneaut) pushed two runs across with a fourth-inning double that followed an RBI groundout by junior Shannon Lance (Loveland, Ohio/Kings), which together accounted for the Tigers' only scoring in the game.

Freshman Abby Haab (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) started the game and went four innings, allowing six hits to score five runs, though only two were earned, on four strikeouts and one walk. Zang pitched the last 2-2/3 innings, allowing three hits and one run with three strikeouts.

The Tigers are scheduled to host Case Western on Saturday, March 28, in a doubleheader that was moved from Cleveland to Springfield due to anticipated weather conditions, although an outright postponement is possible due to a poor forecast in Springfield.

John Strawn '07