CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers rallied for a Game 1 victory and Case Western battled back to take the nightcap as the former North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) rivals settled for a doubleheader split.

The two teams are scheduled to play a total of four games over the weekend, with two more on tap in Springfield on Sunday, weather permitting. The split put the Tigers at 6-18 on the season, while Case Western checks in at 15-10.

In the opener, the Spartans got the upper hand in a pitcher's duel with two run in the fifth inning, and the Tigers responded with a single run in the sixth driven in by senior Zac Wilson (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton). That set the stage for some seventh-inning heroics, starting with a two-run single off the bat of junior Will Cousins (Medfield, Mass./Medfield).

Staked to a one-run lead, freshman Tanner Combs (Wytheville, Va./George Wythe) ran into two-out trouble in his third inning of work. With the bases loaded, senior Stu Haley (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) came to the rescue, inducing a fly out for the third out and his first save of the season.

Combs and Haley followed senior Frank Sullivan (Milford, Ohio/Milford) to the mound for the Tigers. He went 4.2 innings, allowing six hits and four walks that led to two Case Western runs.

Game 2 went the Spartans' way from the outset as Case Western put three runs on the board in the first inning and never looked back. Wittenberg countered with three runs total but the Spartans scored at least one run in five of their eight plate appearances.

Junior Jordan Hitt (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) took the loss after going 5.2 innings. He was relieved by a trio of Tigers who combined to allow just one additional run.

Cousins collected two more hits and drove in a run, and freshman Timmy Bates (Westerville, Ohio/South) scored two times in the game. Senior Aaron Patrick (Eldorado, Ohio/Tri-County North) had the other RBI.

Written By: Ryan Maurer