Tigers Nearly Complete Unlikely Run Through NCAC Tournament

Wittenberg wins a pair of elimination games before falling to top-seeded DePauw on a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Kaela Hughes had a home run and a triple for the Tigers, who came up one run short of an NCAC Tournament title for a second straight year. File Photo | Erin Pence
Kaela Hughes had a home run and a triple for the Tigers, who came up one run short of an NCAC Tournament title for a second straight year. File Photo | Erin Pence
May 3, 2014

GREENCASTLE, Ind. - For the second straight year, the Wittenberg Tigers nearly pulled off a stunning rally on Day 2 of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament. Unfortunately, history repeated itself as the Tigers dropped a heart-breaking one-run decision in the championship game to again claim runner-up honors.

DePauw, the top seed and host team in the tournament, claimed the NCAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament after defeating Wittenberg 5-4 in the NCAC Tournament championship game. The Tigers are now a candidate for an at-large berth in the national competition with a 24-11 overall record.

Wittenberg's day started with a 5-0 victory over Ohio Wesleyan, which had swept the Tigers earlier in the season. The Tigers eliminated the Battling Bishops with a dominating performance as four runs in the third inning and an insurance tally in the seventh made a winner out of senior Rachel Ross (Westerville, Ohio/South), who tossed a complete-game two-hit shutout.

Senior Laura Rose (Riverside, Ohio/Stebbins) banged out three hits to go along with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base to lead the offense. Ross and senior Kaitie Harrison (Springfield, Ohio/Kenton Ridge) added two hits apiece, while freshman Casey Hobbs (Fairborn, Ohio/Carroll) knocked in a pair.

Game 2 of the day turned into a slugfest as Wittenberg and DePauw each tallied seven runs over the first six innings. The visiting Tigers then tacked on a run in the top of the seventh as Ross went yard and freshman Alyssa Durette (Geneva, NY/Geneva) secured the victory with a 1-2-3 pitching performance in the bottom of the inning.

The offense accounted for 12 hits in the game, including three from sophomore Loren Combs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin). Ross, sophomore Kaela Hughes (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) and junior Ashlee Wright (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) drove in two runs each.

That set the stage for a tremendous championship game. Each team scored three times in the first inning, but DePauw tacked on another run in the second. That lead held until the top of the seventh, when sophomore Shannon Lance (Loveland, Ohio/Kings) came up with an RBI single with two outs in the top of the inning.

DePauw returned the favor, however, pushing the winning run across with two outs against Ross.

The offense was sparked by freshman Abby Baker (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) with a 2-for-2 performance and Ross with two RBIs. Hughes, Ross, Rose and Combs scored the Tigers' runs.

For their efforts throughout the NCAC Tournament, Rose, Combs and Ross were named to the All-Tournament Team.