Tigers Fall in 13 Innings to Denison

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio—Wittenberg softball's season came to a close on Saturday in the semifinal of the NCAC Tournament. After defeating Allegheny a day prior, and falling to DePauw in the nightcap of the first day of tournament action, Wittenberg and Denison needed 13 innings to decide who would move on and face DePauw in the championship game. Wittenberg led 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth inning when Denison tied the game up. The game would remain 2-2 all the way to the 12^th inning, when each team got a run in the top and bottom of the inning. The 14^th inning saw the Tigers take a 4-3 lead in the top of the frame, but Denison managed to tack on two runs in the bottom of the 13^th for a walk-off win.

GAME NOTES: Wittenberg got on the board with a solo-shot by Chelsea Zang in the top of the second inning, as the game's starter helped her own cause by wrapping a shot around the left-field foul pole. The Tiger's 1-0 lead would stand until the sixth inning, when an insurance run was added in the form of Victoria Toetz singling home Elise Freeland. Denison tacked on two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth, as the game would remain tied at 2-2 until the 12^th inning. Zang  logged all 13 innings of work in the circle for the Tigers, as Wittenberg got their senior a run in the top of the 12^th after an Olivia Hopkins sac fly plated Katy Baumgartner. Denison would tag Zang for a run in the bottom of the frame, but Wittenberg managed to turn around an plate another run in the 13^th as Abby Curnutte plated Freeland after lacing an RBI single to left-field. Up a run headlining into the bottom of the frame, Wittenberg fell to Denison 5-4 as the international rules of placing a runner on second base from the 10^th inning on weighed heavily on Saturday's outcome.

Facing 50 batters in her last start at Betty Doughman Dillahunt Field, Zang tossed 162 pitches, 111 of which were for strikes, scattering nine hits in 12.1 innings of work while striking out four. Zang appeared to get stronger as the game went on, as one of the best arms the Tiger softball program has ever seen fell victim to three costly errors on Saturday. Zang finishes her historic Tiger career with 327(3^rd all-time)  strikeouts, and a career ERA of 1.57 (1^st all-time).

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM:

Hayley Behr, Allegheny

Jessica Zavolta, Allegheny

Victoria Toetz, Wittenberg

Chelsea Zang, Wittenberg

Sarah Herold, Denison

Laura Bagan, Denison

McKinley Vazquez, Denison

Lindsey Clemson, Denison

Liz Getz, DePauw

Brooke Bandy, DePauw

Sidney Holler, DePauw

MVP -  Emma Baldwin, DePauw