Springfield, OH – It was a storybook ending from Carleton Davidson Stadium on Wednesday night. A two out pinch-hit grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning from Rocco Royer extended the Wittenberg baseball win streak to 15 games, as the Tigers took down No. 4 Baldwin Wallace, 7-4.
It was a pitcher's duel through the first two innings, before the Yellow Jackets hit their first of two homers on the night a solo home run to left.
Wittenberg evened the score at 1-1 in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly from Luke Thomas.
Baldwin Wallace regained the lead in the sixth, scoring three runs, making it a 4-1 ballgame.
The Tiger offense came alive in the late stages of the game. Wittenberg tallied six hits and 5 of 6 came after the fifth inning.
A leadoff single by Conor O'Malley and a walk drawn by Ben Seibert put two runners on in the sixth. The two Tigers aboard would advance on a wild pitch, before Ian Ash would advance them on the sharp shot at the Yellow Jackets first base side, scoring one and cutting the Baldwin Wallace advantage in half, 4-2.
The eighth inning Wittenberg comeback would first begin with a leadoff single up the middle from Chase Whisner. An O'Malley walk would put two aboard and the pressure on the Yellow Jackets defense. Matt Moore advanced the runner to third with the sacrifice fly.
Ben Seibert stepped in after the Baldwin Wallace pitching change, and ripped a double to center and scoring Whisner, 4-3. With two bases already occupied, Baldwin Wallace elected to intentionally walk Parker Gryskevic to load the bases with two outs.
Leading to the dream scenario. Pinch hit, two outs, down one, Royer steps in for his first at-bat of the night and launches his fifth home run over the fence in left, giving Wittenberg their first and final lead of the night, 7-4.
Nate Floyd would take the ball to start, putting in five innings of work, allowing six hits with three strikeouts. Charlie Schafer worked out of some tough spots for the Tigers, allowing no runs with two hits allowed and one strikeout. Nick Cunningham would earn the win, improving to 6-3 on the season, surrendering just two hits. Michael Osmond would come on for the save, allowing no hits in one inning pitched.
This is the second top 25 win for the Tigers this season, having defeated previously ranked No. 4 LaGrange College, 10-9.