SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers broke out the bats with 28 hits in a doubleheader sweep of North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) rival Ohio Wesleyan.
Wittenberg won the opener by a score of 5-1 and the nightcap by a 12-8 margin to improve to 10-10 overall and 3-1 in the league. Ohio Wesleyan fell to 11-9 overall and 2-2 in the NCAC.
Game 1 featured dominant pitching from freshman Chelsea Zang (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton), who scattered four singles and one walk in a complete-game victory. Ohio Wesleyan's lone run in the fifth inning was charged as unearned.
While Wittenberg was charged with two errors in the game, the defense did provide plenty of support, especially from freshman Sam Bausch (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin), who was credited with two putouts and five assists from her third base position.
Offensively, Zang helped herself with a two-run double, while sophomore Casey Hobbs (Fairborn, Ohio/Carroll) went 3-for-3 with two RBIs as well. Junior Shannon Lance (Loveland, Ohio/Kings) had Wittenberg's other run batted in.
Game 2 was nothing short of a slugfest, as the two teams combined for 26 hits and 20 runs. The Tigers kept the pressure on offensively throughout the contest, scoring in five of their six at-bats, including seven runs combined in the fifth and sixth innings after the two teams had played to a 5-5 draw through the first four.
Zang was again the offensive catalyst, finishing a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. For the day, Zang was on base all seven times, including an OWU error in Game 1.
Sophomore Abby Baker (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield), Hobbs and freshman Charlee Clark (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) also finished with two hits apiece. Zang and Baker each hit home runs to counter two round-trippers by Ohio Wesleyan in the game, while Lance drove in four runs and sophomore Tori Simek (Conneaut, Ohio/Conneaut).
Zang started Game 2 in the pitcher's circle before giving way to freshman Abby Haab (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) for the last three innings. Haab picked up the pitching victory after allowing three runs (one earned).
Written By: Ryan Maurer