Wittenberg Races Past Cedarville

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Just what the doctor ordered for the struggling Wittenberg Tiger baseball team. A well-pitched game by three different pitchers, a solid defensive performance and a 12-hit offensive attack added up to a 12-3 victory over visiting Cedarville University, just a day after Thomas More swept a doubleheader by scores of 9-2 and 13-0.

The Tigers improved to 14-13 overall with the win, potentially a confidence booster heading into a rematch on Wednesday with Otterbein, which defeated Wittenberg 14-2 last week. This week's game will be in the friendly confines of Carleton Davidson Stadium, however.

It all starts with pitching, and the Tigers got a second consecutive solid start from junior Justin McCulla, who pitched into the fifth inning and allowed just four hits, two walks and one earned run (two total). He was followed by junior Tyler Jacobs, who picked up the win by tossing 2.2 innings of two-hit, one-run ball. Then freshman Eric Hartfelder made his second appearance in as many games, and he was again impressive, allowing just one hit and one walk in two outstanding innings to finish the game.

Offensively, the Tigers rebounded from a 1-0 first-inning deficit to score four runs in the third inning and five more in the fourth to break things wide open. Junior K.R. Schlievert went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and three runs batted in to spark the offense, followed in the lineup and in the stats sheet by senior Jon Komperda, who finished with three hits and three RBI. Six different players drove in runs for the Tigers.