SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Wittenberg baseball team put the wraps on its 2015 home schedule with a midweek loss to Otterbein by a score of 15-5 on Wednesday night at Carleton Davidson Stadium.
The Tigers fall to 9-22 overall against the now 23-11 Cardinals, stalwarts of the Ohio Athletic Conference.
Senior Zac Wilson (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) had the best night among the Tigers at the plate, powering the lineup from the leadoff spot with a 2-for-3 outing including two walks, two runs scored, two RBIs and a triple.
Freshman Timmy Bates (Westerville, Ohio/South) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and junior Will Cousins (Medfield, Mass./Medfield) had an RBI on a sacrifice fly, while sophomore Dalton Boucher (Granville, Ohio/Granville), senior Aaron Patrick (Eldorado, Ohio/Tri-County North) and junior Corey Farnbauch (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) each had a hit.
Senior Mike Burgher (Birmingham, Mich./Seaholm) started the game on the mound and took the loss, giving up six hits and four runs, three earned, with two walks and one strikeouts. Sophomore Ryan Patrick (Eldorado, Ohio/Tri-County North) pitched 3-2/3 innings of relief, allowing three runs on two walks and four strikeouts. Freshman Tanner Combs (Wytheville, Va./George Wythe) pitched two efficient innings to close the game, holding Otterbein hitless with three strikeouts against two walks.
After each team scored a run in the first inning, the visitors jumped ahead with a three-run second. Another three-run frame in the sixth opened the game up some, and a six-run outburst in the top of the seventh put it out of reach for the Tigers, even with their four-run response in the bottom of the frame. Otterbein capped their 13-hit night with two runs in the eighth.
The Tigers next head to Hiram, Ohio, to square off with the Hiram College Terriers for a three game North Coast Athletic Conference Crossover Weekend series.. The series starts with two nine-inning games on Saturday, May 2, and a single game on Sunday, May 3, beginning at Noon each day.
John Strawn '07