WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Falling behind 10-0 through four innings, WIttenberg could not find the offense to keep up with Transylvania, dropping to 1-4 in their 10-4 loss.
Junior pitcher Joel Assenheimer (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson)got the ball, but could never find a rhythm, taking the loss with 3.1 innings of work. A quintet of relievers did put out the fire, keeping the Pioneers scoreless the rest of the way. Sophomore Manny Rodriguez (Lawrenceville, Ga./Central Gwinnett) picked up a pair of hitless innings in relief.
At the plate, the Tigers only managed five hits against the Transylvania starter, while leaving nine men stranded on the basepaths. Senior shortstop J.T. Thompson (Clayton, Ohio/Northmont) drove in a run and scored on his two hits, the only Tiger with more than one knock on the day. Sophomore Ray Noe (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) drove in a pair of runs in the ninth inning with a double.
The Tiger bats have accumulated an average of .270 through their first five games, while the pitching has not yet sharpened to the 2008 form. With a day off on the horizon, the Tigers look to regroup heading into a meeting with another regional rival, Mount Union, on Thursday, March 12, at 3:15 p.m.
Written By: Ben Bradley, SID Assistant