Wittenberg Softball Suffers Heartbreaking Loss in NCAC Tournament 

SPRINGFIELD, OH. – A valiant effort ended in a heartbreaking defeat as Wittenberg Softball saw its season end when Denison pushed across the go-ahead run on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning to capture the 4-3 win in game six of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament that took place on Friday, May 8, at Betty Doughman Dillahunt Field.

Denison, the No. 3 seed in the double-elimination tournament, came into game six undefeated after beating No. 2 DePauw, 10-1, in game one, and No. 1 Wittenberg, 6-3, in game three. Wittenberg, which found itself at 1-1 after day one of the tournament, defeated Kenyon, 9-4, before losing to Denison. The Tigers then advanced to game six with a Friday morning win over DePauw, 3-2, in game five, knocking the Indiana Tigers out of the tournament.

In the final game, Denison led most of the way, scoring two in the first and another in the second for a 3-2 lead over the Tigers, who scored one in the first and another in the second. With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Wittenberg put a series of infield hits together, aided by an error, to bring in the tying run. It looked like this one was going into extra innings until Brooke Surbaugh smoked a single to right-center to score Indy Workman for the win in the bottom of the inning. With the victory, Denison picks up its seventh tournament title and earns the NCAC automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championships. The Big Red are now 20-19 on the season.

Wittenberg, which caps off a great season with a share of the NCAC crown under its belt, finishes at 27-17 overall and 11-3 in the conference. 

The Tigers scored their three runs on seven hits. Meghan McCans (Arcanum, OH / Arcanum) had two of the seven and scored a run. Others to land a hit in the game were Gada Bryant (Westville, IL / Bismarck-Henning), Bekah Giel(Amelia, OH / West Clermont), Kirsten Wright (Springfield, OH / Kenton Ridge), Emma Lohri (Heath, OH / Newark Catholic), and Shyann Beddow (Kearns, UT / Kearns). Rowan Goodpasture (Wabash, IN / Southwood) and Lohri scored the other Tiger runs, while Beddow, Bryant, and Giel each had an RBI. Beddow, Giel, and McCans each had a stolen base. Lilly Shaw (Washington Courthouse, OH / Washington) and Lilly James (Troy, OH / Troy) turned in a good performance on the mound, despite the loss. 

In game one, the Tigers held on for the 3-2 win behind the stellar pitching of Julie Hall (Powell, OH / Bishop Watterson) and James. What started out looking like a slugfest turned into a pitcher's duel, with Hall and James winning the battle that allowed the Tigers to advance to the 1:30 p.m. game against Denison. Hall went six innings on the mound to collect her 11^th win of the season. She gave up two runs on four hits, while striking out two and walking four. James came on in the seventh inning to notch her 11^th save of the season, fanning one in the process. 

Wittenberg made good use of its hits, scoring three runs on three hits in the game. The Tigers swung the sticks early and put a two-spot on the board in the first. DePauw answered those two runs by plating two of its own in the second frame. Witt then scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the second to take a 3-2 lead that would hold up for the win and knock DePauw out of the tournament. DePauw finished the season at 25-16 overall and 11-3 in the NCAC. 

Bryant, Bailey Nichols (Tucson, AZ / Sabino), and Wright each had a hit to lead the Tigers. Wright had a double and an RBI, and Ava Cyphers (Dayton, OH / Vandalia Butler) added a sacrifice to score a run. McCans, who walked twice and grabbed a stolen base, scored one of the Tiger runs, while Bryant and Nichols scored the others.

Four Wittenberg players were named to the All-Tournament team in McCans, Wright, Hall, and James. 

Written By: Cindy Holbrook