SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – For the second time in two days, the Wittenberg baseball team split a doubleheader with Ohio Wesleyan by virtue of a walkoff win.
Sophomore Josh Kaplan (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) grounded out for an RBI to score freshman Timmy Bates (Westerville, Ohio/South) and tie the second game at 9-9 in the bottom of the ninth, and freshman Eli Goolsby-Broschart (Indianapolis, Ind./Scecina Memorial) finished off the comeback by singling through the right side to score junior Will Cousins (Medfield, Mass./Medfield) and complete a 10-9 victory.
The Tigers dropped the first game 6-2 as Ohio Wesleyan scored five runs in the sixth inning after one in the second. The Tigers answered with two runs in the seventh as freshman Erik Olson (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy) waited out a bases-loaded walk for an RBI and senior Zac Wilson (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) scampered home from third on a wild pitch.
Wilson finished the game 1-for-2 with a run and a walk and junior Corey Farnbauch (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) was 1-for-2 with one run scored. Senior Mike Burgher (Birmingham, Mich./Seaholm) was 1-for-1 in the game and sophomore Dalton Boucher (Granville, Ohio/Granville) provided the remaining Wittenberg hit in his 1-for-4 outing. Wilson and Farnbauch each had a sacrifice hit and Cousins legged out a stolen base.
Junior starter Luke Black (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham) was saddled with the loss despite holding Ohio Wesleyan to five hits and five earned runs and one unearned run with three walks and three strikeouts. Kal Patterson (Westlake, Ohio/Westlake) took over for the seventh inning and pitched a solid inning with just one hit to close things out.
In game two, Wittenberg jumped out to a big lead after posting six runs in the first inning as freshman Bates singled in two runs, Cousins pushed two across with a triple, senior Aaron Patrick (Eldorado, Ohio/Tri-County North) single a run in and Farnbauch doubled in Patrick.
The Battling Bishops scored twice in the third inning but Wittenberg earned one back in the fourth as Wilson scored on an RBI groundout by Olson. Ohio Wesleyan bit right back with three runs in the top of the fifth to cut the Tigers' lead to 7-5.
The back-and-forth continued as Goolsby-Broschart earned back a run for the Tigers with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning. Ohio Wesleyan responded with single runs in the sixth and the seventh.
The Tigers nearly had the game wrapped up in the top of the ninth with a one-run lead after holding Ohio Wesleyan scoreless in the eighth, but the Bishops managed two runs to take the lead.
Then, in the bottom of the ninth, the Tigers pulled out the win by scoring two runs to tie the game and go ahead.
Junior Jordan Hitt (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) started the game on the mound and gave the Tigers five innings of eight-hit pitching, allowing five runs, though only one was earned. Sophomore Cal Slusarz (Chesterland, Ohio/West Geauga) pitched 1-1/3 innings, and senior Stu Haley (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) got the Tigers out of a seventh-inning jam to preserve a one run, 8-7 lead. Freshman Tanner Combs (Wytheville, Va./George Wythe) took over for the eighth, and although he gave up the lead to Ohio Wesleyan in the top of the ninth, he was the pitcher of record when the Tigers walked off in the bottom of the frame to pick up the win.
Wilson finished game two 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base, Patrick was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI, Cousins was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs to go with a triple, and Farnbauch was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a double, in addition stellar work defensively at third base with four putouts and a tremendous scoop of an errant throw to save another run. Bates was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
The Tigers next get some non-conference action versus Otterbein on Wednesday, April 29, at 4 p.m. at home in Carleton Davidson Stadium.
John Strawn '07