Tigers Split Pair To Round Out Series At Ohio Wesleyan

Wittenberg split a doubleheader with Ohio Wesleyan. File Photo | Erin Pence
Wittenberg split a doubleheader with Ohio Wesleyan. File Photo | Erin Pence

DELAWARE, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers got a tremendous pitching performance from freshman Tyler Powell (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) to win Game 1 but Ohio Wesleyan returned the favor with a shutout in the nightcap to gain a doubleheader split.

The 14-0 victory in Game 2 gave Ohio Wesleyan three wins in the four-game series between two teams that came into the weekend tied for fourth place in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) West Division standings. Ohio Wesleyan is now 4-8 in the NCAC West with four games to play, while Wittenberg is 2-10 in the division, also with one more four-game series remaining.

Ohio Wesleyan is now in the driver's seat for the fourth and final spot out of the NCAC West Division in the league's annual Crossover Weekend. The fifth-place team in the final regular season standings will play a three-game series against the fifth-place team in the NCAC East Division, with no opportunity to advance to the NCAC Tournament the following weekend.

Overall, Wittenberg is now 9-20 overall. OWU is 9-19.

In the opener, Powell enjoyed a breakthrough on the mount. He tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just five hits and two walks while striking out three Battling Bishop hitters.

The offense featured one run in the first inning, two in the fourth and an insurance run in the fifth for the Tigers. Senior Tyler Hutchinson (Lebanon, Ohio/Cincinnati Moeller) went 1-for-2 with two runs batted in.

The Battling Bishops responded with their third double-digit scoring output of the weekend in the nightcap, breaking the game open with six runs in the second inning and five more in the seventh, in addition to three one-run innings.

Senior David Moore (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) led the offense with two hits in four plate appearances, and sophomore Will Cousins (Medfield, Mass./Medfield) added a double. However, the Tigers stranded seven runners in the game.