Wittenberg Gets Key NCAC West Sweep Of Earlham

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers got just what they had to have on a beautiful spring afternoon at Carleton Davidson Stadium. The Tigers took a pair of North Coast Athletic Conference West Division games from visiting Earlham College, 12-4 and 16-4.

The Tigers improved to 17-13 overall and, more importantly, remained in the hunt for the division title with the sweep at 6-4. Earlham dropped to 5-19 overall and 0-10 in the NCAC West.

In Game 1, senior Kurt Hartfelder did what he's been doing all season, pitch a complete-game victory. He has now made seven appearances and has seven complete games. His record is 6-1 after allowing 11 hits and no walks on Saturday.

Offensively, Wittenberg banged out 12 hits and took advantage of four Earlham errors to cruise to the win. The key inning was the third - after taking a 4-0 lead in the first two innings, Wittenberg pushed seven runs across the plate to chase Earlham ace Josiah Young and turn the game into a rout. Sophomore Andrew Wellman continued his hot streak with three hits, two runs and two RBI and senior Matt Foster crushed a three-run homer in the second inning to jumpstart the offensive attack.

In Game 2, another complete game was turned in on the mound, this time by senior Ryan Goldschmidt. He also allowed 11 hits in the game, his eighth appearance, sixth start and fourth complete game of the season. Three of Earlham's runs scored on three hits in the top of the seventh inning with the score 16-1.

The offense was tremendous again, turning in its fourth straight double-digit hit game of the week. This time, 18 hits were spread among 10 players, including five who had multiple base knocks. Wellman was again the catalyst, collecting two doubles and triple in his first three plate appearances to drive in four runs. Senior Jon Komperda went 3-for-3 and freshman Tyler Curlis collected three hits from his No. 9 spot in the lineup. Earlham made matters worse for itself, committing six errors, many of which allowed big innings to continue as the Tigers batted around twice.

The same two teams are at it again on Sunday in Carleton Davidson Stadium. Wittenberg needs to sweep the Quakers to give themselves an opportunity to reach the NCAC Tournament, which only includes the top two teams in each division. Denison, which hosts Wittenberg next weekend in Granville, leads with a 9-1 record after sweeping Wabash on Saturday. The Tigers are tied with Ohio Wesleyan for second place and can pass the Battling Bishops with a sweep on Sunday.