FERRUM, Va. — The Wittenberg baseball team opened its 2024 season Saturday by splitting a doubleheader at Ferrum, falling 14-10 in the opener before rebounding for a 13-4 victory in Game 2.

The Basics

• Records: Wittenberg (1-1 overall), Ferrum (2-3 overall)
• Venue: Panther Field - Ferrum, Va.

Stat Leaders - Game 1

• Senior Luke Thomas (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) led the Tigers in Game 1 with four hits, including a double, with one RBI, three runs scored and one steal.
• Senior Conor O'Malley (Avon, Ohio/St. Edward's) tallied three hits, including a double, and scored two runs.
• Senior Matt Moore (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) had two hits and three RBIs.
• Freshman Xander Rodriguez (Salinas, P.R./Franklin County) added two hits, including a double, and scored two runs.
• Freshman Cam Gladden (Galena, Ohio/Big Walnut) had one hit and two RBIs.
• Senior Nick Cunningham (Fredericktown, Ohio/Fredericktown) got the pitching start for the Tigers and allowed seven runs, just two of which were earned, on seven hits and three walks while striking out three.
• Russell Golembe led Ferrum with two hits, three RBIs and three runs scored, and pitcher Matthew Sheppard earned the win in relief.

Game 1 - Ferrum 14, Wittenberg 10

• Wittenberg got the scoring started with a three-run second inning courtesy of a 2-RBI single from Gladden and an RBI single from Thomas.
• Ferrum responded with three runs in the bottom of the second to tie the score.
• The Tigers added a run in each of the third and fourth frames, but Ferrum scored a run in the fourth and three in the fifth for a 7-5 edge.
• After both teams scored a run in the sixth, Wittenberg put together a big eighth inning that included RBI singles from sophomore James MacAuley (Groose Pointe Woods, Mich./Groose Pointe North) and Moore and an RBI double from sophomore Tommy Chilicki (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) to regain the lead at 10-8.
• It didn't take long for Ferrum to respond, however, as the Panthers tacked on six runs in the bottom of the eighth that ended up giving them the lead for good.
• Wittenberg out-hit Ferrum by a 15-14 margin in the game, and both teams committed three errors.

Stat Leaders - Game 2

• Thomas had a team-best four hits, including a pair of doubles, to go with two RBIs, three runs scored and one steal.
• Moore added three hits, two RBIs and one run.
• Freshman Thatcher Dietz (Westerville, Ohio/South) tallied two hits, one RBI and one run.
• MacAuley added one hit, two RBIs and two runs.
• Junior Rocco Royer (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) had a triple with one RBI and two runs.
• Sophomore Alex Nemunaitis (Ottawa Hills, Ohio/Ottawa Hills) posted one hit, two RBIs and one run.
• Sophomore Andrew Rust (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) pitched 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, earning the win after giving up just three hits and two walks while striking out seven.
• Junior Owen Treece (Van Wert, Ohio/Van Wert) pitched a scoreless final three innings for the Tigers, giving up no hits and no walks while striking out four.
• Shawn Baxter led the Ferrum offense with one hit and two RBIs.

Game 2 - Wittenberg 13, Ferrum 4

• The Tigers made easy work of the Panthers in Game 2 after falling into a 4-1 hole at the end of two innings.
• An RBI sac fly from O'Malley and an RBI single from Moore in the top of the fifth brought the Tigers within one, and they took a 6-4 lead in the sixth on RBI doubles from Nemunaitis and Thomas and an RBI single from MacAuley.
• Wittenberg extended its lead to 8-4 in the seventh on an RBI single from Dietz and an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of MacAuley.
• The Tigers added five more imsurance runs in the top of the ninth on an RBI sac fly from Nemunaitis, an RBI double from Thomas and three bases-loaded walks.
• Wittenberg finished with a 15-4 edge in hits, and Ferrum committed two errors to the Tigers' none.

Quote - Head coach Brian McGee

• "It was great to be back on the diamond today with the guys. A few costly errors and too many walks, and we basically beat ourselves in the first game. We put up a great response in the second game, which tells me a lot about this group. Expectations are high, but the reality is that we're just getting started."

Records & Milestones

• Eighth-year head coach Brian McGee is now 134-100 all-time at Wittenberg.
• O'Malley has 111 hits, 26 doubles, 11 home runs and 97 RBIs in his career. He is 55 hits, 10 doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs shy of breaking into the program's all-time top 10 in those categories.
• Thomas has 108 hits and 27 doubles in his career. He is 58 hits and nine doubles shy of breaking into the program's all-time top 10 in those categories.
• On the mound, juniors Charlie Schafer (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek) and Nate Floyd (Akron, Ohio/Copley) each have 62 career strikeouts in their pursuit of 100.

Up Next

• The Tigers return to action on Sunday at 12 p.m. to conclude their three-game series at Ferrum.